The Vacation
by Naidoo
Summary: Morgan decides to take Garcia on a roadtrip and little do both know that down the road there is more than just a bit drama, but also a lot of love. This is a collaboration with KricketWilliams. Rating is for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story started back in March, when KricketWilliams mentioned to me someone should write a story about Europe from the point of view of a European. Little did she know that I would take her words and run with it and make it a Morgan/Garcia fic all the while. I hit some very rocky road and several blocks after only a few chapters and asked her to join me after just a little while. That's how this collaboration was born and the story was finished in literally no time. It is a huge honor for me to have written on this with her, seeing that she is one of the author's that inspire me the most. We hope you enjoy this collaboration as much as we enjoyed writing together.  
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They had always made jokes about it before: how they one day would go away together, how he would show her the world -and make sure she had a great time. Nonetheless, they never acted on it. It always just remained that: a joke.

She argued teasingly that they would probably get drunk and mess up the good thing they had with each other. His excuse had always been work. He had been so busy over the last two years, he barely even managed to visit Chicago and his family. However, after she was shot, things changed. For a few hours, he had the uncertainty resting on his mind, wondering whether she would make it or not.

When the doctors told him, them, that Penelope would be fine and it was a minor miracle, he had never felt so relieved in his life about anything. Maybe at this stage he should have asked himself _why_, maybe he should've questioned the magnitude of his feelings, but he didn't.

When IA investigated Penelope for having secured files, and she was accused of flagging case files as important to the FBI, things definitely didn't become any easier for her. She was cleared when Battle was shot in the BAU while keeping a hostage and trying to get his files deleted, but it wasn't as if any of this didn't leave a strain on his Baby Girl.

"You know, sweet momma, I have been thinking," he started one day, while having lunch with her.

"Oh boy, we are in trouble now," she replied, smiling playfully at him.

He quirked a half-grin. "Funny. No, seriously, listen- I know we're always joking about it, but I think we really should take a vacation."

"I know I'm due for one," she answered with a nod. "I've been thinking Calif-"

"Together," he said, looking at her with a serious expression.

Penelope didn't reply, just arched her eyebrows, not sure how to take what he just said. Yes, they had been joking about it, but she never thought about it seriously and definitely not with any meaning.

"You want to go on vacation with me?"

This question was two-fold. Penelope knew Morgan now for three years and she'd never seen him going on vacation. He only went home to Chicago at the end of May each year. He never even took Christmas vacation off. So this kind of surprised her.

The second part, wanting to go with her, that was even more surprising. They were just friends, they weren't dating or lovers. Why couldn't he scare up a date to go with?

For a moment she thought he was just making fun and joking, but the expression on his face told her he was dead serious.

He just nodded at her question, at which she asked "Now?"

He had to laugh at that. "Not now, but soon."

"How soon?" she asked, sounding slightly panicked.

That got another laugh from Morgan. "Not too soon. Don't you worry, Goddess." He gave her a few minutes break before asking, "So, what do you think?"

He could see the inner battle she was having with herself, weighing her options, arguing about the reasons that said 'yes' and those that pointed towards 'no'.

"It's not like you need to decide right now. I just… want to make sure you know I am serious. After the last couple of months, you had you seriously deserve a break and a bit of pampering as well." He smiled softly and encouragingly at her.

"Where would we be going?" Penelope asked, which transformed his smile into a wide grin.

"Wherever you want to go."

"Anywhere , but not a beach," she was quick in saying. After thinking about it for a moment, she smiled at him as well, and replied, "Mexico."

"Mexico? It's surrounded by beaches."

"Not coastal Mexico."

"Why Mexico?" he asked, wondering what brought that answer out.

"Cheap booze, Nachos and cute guys," she answered with a massive grin.

"Guys?" He quirked a brow at her. "What am I for during the trip? Your tour guide?"

"Something like that," she replied, still grinning at him.

"Silly girl," he chastised with a grin. "How about you think about it until tomorrow and then we see?"

"Didn't you always say you want to show me the world?" she asked, mocking him slightly. "So, why don't you come up with something and I'll tag along?"

"So you'll come with me?" he asked. He knew he sounded overeager, but he didn't care. He was downright excited.

"I guess. The thought about having you all for me is just too good to let it pass. So… yeah, I'm in. As long as it isn't going to be a beach, and it isn't in the next few weeks," she reminded him, before getting up and making her way back to her office.

Derek smiled. He got her to go with him. Now all he needed was a destination.

That night at home Derek spent a good while trying to come up with ideas of where to go with her. He wanted it to be special; God knows how often it would happen again. His gaze was roaming over his book shelf, when it stopped at sight of a red binding. A photo album he hadn't actually looked at in months. Getting up and going through the pages a smile formed on his lips. He just found the destination for their journey.


	2. the first obstacle

_AN: I am so pleased and excited to be working on this collaboration with my dear friend, Naidoo. This story is her idea, her baby. I'm just along on the romantic ride. Hope you enjoy my little "kricketwilliams" additions!- Kricket_

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"You're taking a trip?" Kevin asked his eyes wide and incredulous. He was looking at her, watching her nod. His voice raised just a bit when he added, "With Morgan?"

She knew this wasn't going to go well. Kevin had always been more than a little bit jealous of her relationship with Derek. He needed to realize that Morgan was in her life for good; he was her best friend. She simply smiled and nodded.

"You are going to go with one of the biggest Lotharios in the FBI to parts unknown, where he can show you his well-known parts!"

She grinned at the dramatics of her boyfriend. "Kevin, it isn't like that between us, you know that." She patted his hand gently, to calm him. "He's my pal, kind of like JJ."

"Well," he cried, "go with JJ, instead then!"

"JJ has a newborn," she explained. "She can't exactly fly anywhere she wants to."

"You can't possibly want to go with Morgan."

"Actually," she said. "I do."

"You cannot go," Kevin replied flatly. "I forbid it."

She narrowed her eyes. "You _forbid_ it?"

He waited a moment before he answered. "If you go with him, Penelope, we no longer have a relationship."

"Kevin, you're being ridiculous."

He shook his head rapidly. "No. No, I'm not."

"This is stupid!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "We're just _friends_, Kevin! You need to trust me."

"I do trust you," he yelled back. "It's him I don't trust!"

"No, you don't," she said sadly. "If you trusted me, you'd know I would be true to you. I am not that kind of woman."

"Ask him. Ask if he would allow you to go with me-"

"I went on a mini-trip with you last weekend!"

"If you were dating him, he wouldn't let you go with me," he replied.

"That's because we're not friends, Kevin," she answered with a scowl.

"No," he said, his mouth pursed into a thin line. "And we're not dating anymore, either."

With that, he opened her office door and left.

"You know, he wasn't that unreasonable, really," JJ said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Pen's mouth fell open. "Forbidding me to go is not _unreasonable_ to you?"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Yes, that was. However, worrying about you and Morgan together, what might happen and all… that makes some sense."

This time, Pen rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Derek and I have been friends for a long time, and he's never done anything."

"He's different with you, Garcie," JJ said, leaning forward to put her coffee cup down. "Ever since you were shot, he can't take his eyes off of you. He was always smitten with you, but now, he's more in tune to you than ever."

"You're wrong," she said flatly. "He could've asked me out a bunch of times, but never did- and I really liked Kevin."

"You seem really heartbroken about that breakup."

Pen narrowed her eyes. "No reason to be sarcastic, Jayje."

JJ stood and reached for her cup, then said, "I'm just saying there is a world of possibility there while you're seeing the world, even if you refuse to acknowledge it."

She opened her office door and walked out, leaving Pen to ponder what she considered the impossible.


	3. no way back

_A/N: Thanks you to everyone for the fabulous and wonderful reviews and how well it has been received so far. This whole story was a blast to write and writing with my friend Kricket was just amazing. Thank you  
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_Also, on a side note with this story posted, my story 'Not like that' won't unfortunately get an update until this one is finished. Just not a fan of posting several stories at the same time. Sorry. But on the bright side, it gives me more time to work on it. LOL - Naidoo  
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Penelope was working on some searches and data verification, when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around in her chair, she wasn't too surprised to find Morgan standing in front of her. Since she had been shot a few weeks back, Morgan had basically spent every free moment he had in her lair.

"What brings you to me today, Handsome?" she asked, giving him a smile.

He was carrying two lattes in a cardboard tray. He reached for one and offered it to her. "I came to let you know I discovered last night where you and I will be heading shortly…"

The arching of her eyebrows signalized to him she was listening.

"Europe" he informed her. He watched, noticing the surprised, if not even slightly shocked expression on Penelope's face.

"Europe?" she asked, after a short silence.

"Yes. We start in London and then work our way through…"

"Start in London?" Penelope asked, now confused. "What do you mean _start_?"

"I thought about a tour through Europe. England, Italy, France and Spain. You know; that kind of thing."

Penelope began to panic. They'd either be gone a really long time, or he was going to wear her out running everywhere. Neither option sounded that great to her. She needed clarification. "Morgan, how long exactly are you planning for this trip to last? I mean … I …"

"Relax that whirlwind mind of yours for a moment. I spoke to Hotch already. He has been trying to get you out of her for a while ever since Battle. You always refused to take any time off. As for me, you know I haven't taken any of my vacation time in years. Hotch is game. He expects us to come back happy and satisfied." Derek grinned wickedly. "With the trip, of course."

"So Hotch just lets us take it all spontaneously?" Penelope asked, still looking not as impressed as Morgan would have liked.

"Kind of. It has been rather quiet lately. Hopefully, it'll stay like that; then we are free to go."

She frowned, still thinking, when he continued.

"Anyway, I have a couple of friends over there whom I haven't seen in quite awhile. Most of them I knew during my time in the Marines. Great people; you will like them. What do you say? How does it sound to you?" He asked, then grinned at her again. "Or do you just want it you and me in England, Italy, Spain or France?"

Penelope still looked at him. When she agreed to go away with him she was more thinking domestic, or Mexico, or even Canada, something that could be reached within a few hours. She wasn't expecting him to come up with a trip that would bring them halfway around the world.

She decided to share her concerns. "I … umm… to be honest, I wasn't really expecting this. I mean … that is quite a trip you planned!"

"Well, gorgeous, I promised you I would show you the world, and that's what I'm doing. Any other concerns?" he asked, obviously pleased with himself.

Penelope wondered if he really had thought this through. "I … that is quite a long way. What if I … need to go back quickly?"

"Why would you do that? You get a chance to see the Eiffel Tower and Paris, see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and London, eat some of the best food in Italy and see Rome, whatever you want. Hell, I'd even run with the bulls in Spain with you." He paused for a second, before asking, "Why would you ever want to leave any of that? Are you going to abandon me in my hour of need?"

"Well, who tells me you won't _abandon me_ the moment you catch sight of an Italian bambina, some Spanish chica or a French mademoiselle?"

"Oh, trust me gorgeous, I would never abandon you." His eyes light up with a mischievous light. "Especially not in a foreign country. Far away from home. A country whose language you don't speak and where you don't know anyone."

"Morgan, that isn't helping."

"Oh, come on, Garcia," he said, slinging his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Come with me. It will be fun, you'll see. Three weeks of meeting friends of mine, enjoying another culture and definitely not chasing any bad guys."

"THREE WEEKS?" she nearly shrieked. "Are you serious? Three weeks?"

"Yeah, I told you, Hotch wants you out of the office. Well… not out … just, taking a bit of time off and enjoying yourself, not having to worry about work and UNSUBs," he explained, seeing the shock written all over her face.

"I … I really don't know. I mean it sounds great and like fun, but three weeks? As far away as Europe? Couldn't we start somewhere closer?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"Well, you said yesterday 'anywhere but a beach'. This fits your criteria," he smiled at her softly.

"Yeah, well, when I said that I was thinking the furthest you think would be California or Hawaii. Florida even, but I didn't think you would consider countries that are hours away by plane."

"Well, would you expect anything less from me than shocking surprise?" he grinned, looking down on her and literally seeing her thoughts. "Come on. I know you want to. Just say it out loud and I can start planning."

After looking at him for another few moments skeptically, Penelope finally nodded, although rather skeptically.

"Good. I'll start calling my friends and prepare them for the arrival of a true Goddess and her devotee," he laughed, when leaving her office.

Despite her agreeing, Penelope still had doubts nagging her whether this really was such a great idea. Alone with Morgan, in a different country, thousands of miles away from home?

She decided not to waste her time worrying. After all, what could go wrong?

The months passed by, and one Wednesday, Penelope was sitting in her office, waiting for a call from her team. They had left two days ago, flying to New Hampshire.

It was around noon when she heard a knocking against her door, and seconds later, Charlotte from Reception entered, handing her a FedEx envelope.

Looking at it suspiciously, she took it and ripped it open, finding a handwritten note and some greenish paper.

_Better get ready and be prepared, Baby Girl. The adventure starts in two weeks. M_

She knew the second she read it that it was something in regards to their vacation. For weeks now, Morgan referred to their trip as an 'adventure'. That usually made her smile. For her, adventure would be hiking through some jungle all on her own, some sort of Survival Outdoor training. For Morgan it seemed to be this trip to Europe.

Looking at the greenish papers now, she saw they were plane tickets for Saturday in two weeks time, just as the note indicated. There was officially no way back anymore.


	4. preparation for Europe

_AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing, and again, thanks to Naidoo for letting me join in on this European adventure... - Kricket  
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Penelope finally got over the overwhelmed feeling of going on a month's long trip with her best friend, and started enjoying herself. She was doing a lot of shopping. She wondered how smart that was when she would probably shop like crazy when she got to Europe.

Still, she wanted new clothes for her new _adventure_. That changed, too. She started seeing it as an adventure, one that could be life enhancing. She'd always wanted to see Paris, wanted a chance to really use her French and walk the sunny, apple blossom covered streets.

Well, maybe not apple blossom covered. That was Paris in the springtime, and this was summertime. She couldn't help but be somewhat fanciful. She realized how fortunate she was; not many Americans got the chance to take a month long trip to Europe.

"How does this one look, Em?" she said, holding up a navy blue dress. "Does this one scream _gay Paree_ to you? Elegant, sophisticated. If I smoked, I'd have to have a cigarette holder for this!"

Prentiss rolled her eyes. "Comfortable. Bring comfortable clothes that you can travel around in. Stuff that doesn't wrinkle. A blue linen dress is not in that category, Garcie."

Pen frowned at her, then turned and held the dress up at Reid, who was dragged with under duress. "What do you think?"

"I think Prentiss is right." He gulped when he saw the look on Penelope's face. "I'm just saying!"

"You two are no fun," she pouted. "How am I going to look like a European if I don't have advice from my well-traveled friends?"

Penelope was a touch worried. Derek had elegant European friends that she had to meet, many whom she guessed were women, and she didn't want to appear gauche and pedestrian in comparison.

"Honey," JJ said, patting her arm. "Be yourself."

"No one there knows you." Prentiss grinned. "If you're going to be different, wear stuff you wouldn't dare to wear here."

Reid took a slurp of his Orange Julius, looked like he was in deep thought, then said, "Personally, I think Europe would want to know the Garcia we all know and love."

Penelope's eyes watered at the sentimental statement. "Oh, Reid!" she said as she threw her arms around him, splashing his orange drink on his shirt.

"Hey! Be careful," he answered, smiling begrudgingly as he wiped himself off.

"Here," JJ remarked, handing Reid a napkin.

"How about this one?" Prentiss held up a gorgeous, colorful sundress that was exactly what Penelope usually wore. Her eyes were twinkling and she was smiling. "This one doesn't scream _gay Paree_, but it definitely screams PG."

Penelope took the dress out of her hands and headed to the dressing room, floating on cloud nine.

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Derek had far less luggage than Penelope. She had four satchels in comparison to his two. He wondered what on earth she had in the bags. Tossing them in the back of the taxi from the park and ride near the airport, he opened her door and slid in.

"You think I am being excessive, don't you?" she asked rather bluntly.

"They do have Laundromats over there, you know."

She stiffened. "That is just the basics, Derek."

"Sure," he quipped.

"Swimsuit, cover up, four skirts, multiple shirts, some Capri pants, a few pairs of shorts, a wash and wear dress, one elegant dress, pajamas-"

"Why do you need pajamas?" he interrupted, with a devilish grin. "Sleep naked like I do."

"Oh, you'd just love that, mon chér," she replied sarcastically. "They'd have a fire, and I'd run out, buck naked, scaring the Parisians half to death at the sight of my big white butt."

"Sexy white butt, sweetheart," he corrected. "And if you don't like your butt pale, we'll hit some nude beaches and tan it to a golden brown."

"You make me sound like toast."

He laughed. "Are you tired? You're kind of grumpy."

He watched her grumble, then look out the window, before she answered. "I didn't sleep last night. I was too excited."

Derek's heart sung. He was happy that she was so excited she didn't sleep. It showed him that she was finally adjusting to making this trip with him, finally wanting to go.

For weeks before, she was questioning his every move. "Are you sure, Hot Stuff?" and "Do you really want to do this?" It was driving him bat shit crazy; he was ready to take her ass on a red eye flight immediately to stop her incessant inquiring.

Now, she was ready, if not a bit resigned, but excited, too. He loved it; he was going to have his best friend with him now.

Because an excited, happy Garcia was the greatest thing on earth. There was no one else he would ever want to be with.

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, Derek drug her to his side, so that she was leaning against him. "Here. Rest now, pretty soon we'll be wheels up and on our way to England."

She protested only for a second, before he felt her melt into his side. Soon, he heard her gentle snoring.

He smiled, leaned his head back, and took a nap.


	5. London

_A/N: We'd like to mention that throughout the story we use a wide range of stereotypes. In no way do these stereotypes reflect mine or Kricket's opinion. We just use them for fun. Thanks for the reviews and the support so far. It has been quite some project for the both of us. But we had a lot of fun throughout. - Naidoo_

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Penelope was so excited, although she was just boarding the plane at JFK. She was going to Europe! It finally sank in, the thrill of the whole thing. She was going to have the time of her life, and nothing was going to stop her. Going with Derek made it all the much better. He was just like her, willing to try anything and do anything.

However, she had checked the weather forecasts and started to get anything _but_ excited. It was 'rainy, with a chance of sun' every day while she was in London. Great, if she wanted rain, she could stay very much in the same country. Virginia had a lot of rain right notw. She didn't need to fly halfway across the globe to see rain in a different country.

Nevertheless, she was flying to London, an exciting, busy city with old standards and plenty of traditions. Not that she would think to meet only Dukes and Ladies there, but somehow when thinking about England, that's what came to mind.

Her last thought before she settled down for a nap was that she needed to work on her curtsy…. Just in case.

After seven hours in a plane, falling asleep against Morgan's shoulder several times throughout the flight, and some cranky kids behind her driving her insane by kicking the seat non-stop, they landed in surprisingly sunny London.

Morgan retrieved a baggage cart. Then, loaded with both their luggage, they walked through the airport towards the exit.

Penelope noticed several women turning around when they passed them. She smiled quietly to herself; it seemed Morgan's appeal was _international_.

Morgan didn't seem to notice any of it. He walked past all of them, not even glancing at them, always just checking on her, making sure she was not getting lost.

Once outside the airport they called for a cab and made their way to their hotel, which was located in the South of London, within the museums district, just a hop away from Hyde Park.

Even jet lagged, Penelope started to get excited. She had read so much about London and wanted to see even more. Probably all the movies she had seen over the years, taking place in this buzzing city might have disillusioned her a bit, but she still was going to see as much as possible and enjoy every moment of it. She wanted to eat fish and chips out of newspapers, have some English Ale in one of the old and traditional pubs and go shopping in Oxford Street. She wanted to ride the Tube – the local subway – and use a _telly_ and a _lift_.

Oh! She wanted to go to Notting Hill. She knew she probably wouldn't meet either Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts, but at least she could visit the weekly Antique Market. She had to see Buckingham Palace and Harrod's, the Tower Bridge and Big Ben as well as the House of Parliament were big on her list as well.

She probably had plans that could easily keep them busy for a month and knew she wouldn't be able to see all that was on her list, but at least she could try. So far Morgan didn't know any of this.

The cab drive was quite a long one, but they had a funny driver who spotted right away that they were Americans and kept talking about some relatives that just came back from the States and their vacation there. He listed various cities all over the country, like Vegas and LA, New York and Seattle, Miami and Boston. He kept on saying how much cheaper America was than the UK. Penelope had to wonder if the guy ever had been to New York before.

He kept talking about one thing and another, giving them plenty of tips of what to see, what shows to watch in the West End and where definitely to go – not that Penelope needed much more ideas, since she herself already had quite some list.

They finally made it to their hotel after what seemed hours, mainly due to the airport being so far outside of London and also because traffic at this time was bad. Then again - as their cab driver had informed them – traffic in London was _always_ bad.

Checking into their hotel, getting the key cards for their rooms, Penelope started to make plans for the remainder of the day. They probably wouldn't start with the sightseeing before tomorrow, and there wasn't much time left to start anything big tonight anyway. So maybe a dinner – or lunch, since her internal clock was still set on the US - would be a good start and they could then plan the next few days.

"Uh uh, busy girl," he said as he put her bags on the stand in her room. Derek's room was next door. "First things first."

She frowned in confusion. "What?"

He shut her door, and motioned for her to follow him to his room. After putting his bags on his stand, he put the cart in the hall, then reached for her and pulled her into his arms. He held her quietly for a moment, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"Yep," he said. "It's official. Holding my baby in another country feels just as good as holding her in Quantico."

"Damn straight," she said, grinning up at him.

He cupped her cheek, smiling softly at her. "I am so glad you came with, Penelope."

She turned her face and kissed his palm. "I'm glad I went."

His eyes twinkled, then he put his arm around her. "Let's go get some food."

Her stomach growled loudly. She giggled. "Exactly what I was thinking."


	6. insights

_AN:Thanks again for reviewing and reading this...here is a smidgen of awareness, just for the heck of it! Kricket_

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Sitting in a traditional London pub just a block from their hotel, Penelope was enjoying a hot beef sandwich and mashed potatoes, while Derek had a hamburger.

He smirked over at her. "Real international, this cuisine we're having."

She smiled. "It is good. That's all that matters." She took a sip of her official English ale and grimaced.

He burst out laughing. "You don't like beer at home. Why the hell are you drinking it here?"

"Because that is what you are supposed to drink in a pub," she stated flatly. She'd forced herself to drink half of it.

He shook his head, and took a swig of his, then grinned again. "This, Baby Girl, is wonderful."

"No, it isn't."

Derek reached for her ale and put in front of himself, then signaled for the server. "She'd like a Captain Morgan and Coke, extra tall with lots of ice."

"And cherries," she added. She noted Derek's raised eyebrows, and said, "Well, if I am going to be unofficial, I am going to do it my way."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," he said, as the server put the drink in front of her. He smiled, raising his glass to her. "Here's to my beautiful Baby, having it her way."

"Cheers," she said, taking a big sip of the glorious drink.

Two more drinks away, they started talking about all sorts of things, the weather, sports, shopping. All the usual things they BS'd about back home.

She took a big slurp of her drink, making the noise in the ice that happens after all the liquid is gone. She pouted. "Another one bites the dust."

"Like Lynch, right?" Morgan asked. He hadn't discussed it with her since it happened, but she knew he knew. "He bit the dust, too."

"Yeah, but I'm not pouting over him." She put the drink forward on the table. She'd definitely had enough.

"What are you looking for in a man now, P?" he questioned, taking yet another swig of ale. Derek loved beer; she wondered how he didn't get a pot belly.

"I don't know," she said honestly. She hadn't really thought about it. "What do you want in a woman?"

"Oh," he began, a big beaming smile across his face, "I have a lot of specifications."

"I bet you do!" She snickered, thinking. "Tall, blonde, long legs, big boobs, _flexible_…"

He ignored her. "I want someone who is adventurous, who is willing to try anything with me. I want someone who isn't afraid to laugh out loud or cry on my shoulder. I want someone who is as beautiful inside as she is outside. I want someone who wants to dance and love out in the open, who will care for me as I care for her."

She gaped at him. "Wow, D. I… I wasn't expecting that."

"... and she has to love sex," he added with a snicker.

She laughed, too, and slapped his arm.

"What can I say?" he said, his eyes growing dark. "I love sex."

Penelope snickered. "That's a given with you."

"Oh, Baby Girl. That's only part of it."

Something shifted in that moment. Derek's glassy eyes smoldered over his ale. He leaned closer, so close she could feel his words vibrate off her cheek, his warmth radiating off his body.

She leaned back a little, to look him in the eyes. His warm ale scented breath fanned lightly on her lips. She licked her lips and swallowed hard, then whispered, "What's the other part?"

"It's not just the sex. She has to love it like I do. Truly love it," he murmured, holding her eyes captive with his. "All the different positions, all the playful experimenting, and above all, all the kissing."

She simply blinked at him. She couldn't talk even if she wanted to.

It didn't matter; he continued talking. " Deep, slow, hot kisses that take your breath away and make you want more..." he paused a moment, smiling sensuously. "Mmmmm, baby, I love kissing as much as the main event. There is nothing better in this world than an awesome kiss."

She nodded her agreement to that, and found that she was staring at his lips. Her heart was pounding and that tingling warmth, the beginning stirs of desire was growing in her belly. It shocked her; she wasn't ready for this. She looked back up, quickly... and noticed he was looking at her lips, too.

A second later, he hiccupped, snapping her completely out of the area she was a moment later. They looked at each other again, and then started to laugh.

"I guess it's time to head back to our rooms," she said. A second later, she burped, daintily covering her mouth. "Ooh! Damned beer. That is why I never drink it."

Standing, Derek belched, loudly. "That's why I _always_ drink it."

She wrinkled her nose at him in disgust. "Eww."

He grinned again, his handsome, boyish, million dollar smile.

Derek slung his arm around her shoulders, she looped her arm around his waist, and they staggered down the street back to their hotel off Hyde Park for the night.


	7. London day

_A/N: Thanks to all you wonderful people, for making this story such a success and taking in the combined writting of KricketWilliams and me. We can guarantee you this'll be a fun ride, with maybe one or two bumps along the road. And it'll be quite a long road. LOL_ _We are well aware of the fact that the sightseeing we make them do in this chapter is A LOT, but ... well, they don't have much time. - Naidoo_

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The next morning, it was Morgan who had knocked on Penelope's door, ripping her right out of her sweet dreams. One look at the clock and she saw it was already getting close to noon. She'd groaned; the jetlag really was starting to play her good. She had slept a bit more than 14hrs and still had felt as if she didn't get any sleep at all.

Bleary eyed, she'd grumbled as she answered the door. She knew she looked a mess. Her hair was rumpled, her glasses askew, and her makeup blurred, but she didn't care. It was just Morgan, after all.

"Is that sentiment true?" Derek smirked and pointed at her chest. "'Cause looking at you now, I'd definitely say that's wrong."

She was wearing her short, pink t-shirt nightgown that said _Blondes Have More Fun_. She scowled. "You could've brought me coffee."

"Read something in a travel magazine last night. Caffeine makes you more dehydrated, and part of the cause of jetlag is dehydration."

She growled at him, turned and headed to her suitcase. "Who are you? Reid?"

"Hey!" he answered, obviously offended.

She grabbed her dress and her panties. "Give me five, and I'll be ready to go down." Then she walked by the door and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sorry I'm crabby."

"It's okay, baby," he answered as she disappeared into her bathroom. He reached a hand up and touched his tingling cheek, a little discombobulated, before he left her room.

"So, what do we have planned for today?" he asked her, skimming the newspaper, while she had the last few bites of their breakfast. They'd made it down to a corner restaurant for breakfast…. And coffee. Penelope had demanded coffee, dehydration, jetlag or not.

"Well, I thought we could tour the city and see everything we wanted to do yesterday, but couldn't. How is the weather supposed to be today?" she asked, her fingers crossed on her lap.

Morgan looked through the pages of his paper until he found today's forecast, before announcing "Sunny and bright, with a slight chance of rain spells. I guess the same as yesterday."

He smiled at her, but she knew she didn't mirror the look.

"I was hoping there would be some better weather over here," she said, pouting.

"You are in England, love. We either have rain or a chance of rain," one of the waiters remarked, shrugging his shoulders as if that was a fact and she should better get used to it.

"Don't you ever get tired of the rain?" Penelope asked, hearing Morgan laugh.

"No, you just make the best of it. As long as they say 'a chance of,' it can always turn out to be a good day. The forecast usually is never right to begin with," The waiter began.

Penelope was about to ask a question when he continued, "Last week they'd said the whole week we would have temperatures way below average for this time of year and it would be raining every single day. We ended up with most of the days sun shinning and temperatures way above the average. You learn to be prepared for everything. Take an umbrella with you wherever you go, no matter how the forecast is and how it looks at the moment. "

"That's … encouraging. I think I don't even have an umbrella with me," Penelope grumbled, getting a snicker from her best friend.

The waiter gave a sympathetic shake of his head, then took his leave from the table.

"And here I thought you are always so well prepared for everything," Derek teased with a grin.

"It isn't my fault that I didn't have enough time to prepare for this trip…" Penelope complained with a pout.

"Not enough time?" Morgan asked in disbelief. "You had over four months to prepare."

"Well, I didn't expect when we'd talked about it, we'd actually go through with it."

"Oh, Baby Girl, when will you learn I am not just talk?" He smirked before helping her up.

She rolled her eyes with a grin, looped her arm in his, and then they were off.

Penelope had it all prepared. She had city guides and tour books, marked with funky colored post-it notes sticking out from several pages and a map of London that sported a good number of post-it's, with comments on it, too. She had circled and crossed out things, referenced them and made noted about how to reach places of interest best.

Starting their tour with Big Ben, the House of Parliament, as well as the residence of the British Prime Minister in Downing Street 10, Penelope had a good laugh trying to get a reaction from the guards that were standing in front.

No such luck; they didn't even move a muscle. It was like they were made of stone. He just stood there, not moving an inch left or right, always looking straight ahead.

Morgan took a picture with her next to one of the Guards, and then they moved on towards what looked like a Farris wheel. It was supposed to give you a fabulous view all above London. The London Eye usually was rather well visited and had hours of waiting if you got there on peak-times, but surprisingly Morgan and Penelope were rather lucky and didn't need to wait for more than ten minutes. They even had the capsule all to themselves.

They had a late Lunch in a small café in one of the side roads on their way to St. Paul's Cathedral. Penelope was getting more and more excited the closer they got.

"That's the Church in which the Royals got and get married. Where Charles wedded Diana, William will marry –"

"I didn't know you are so obsessed with the Royal family, Baby Girl," Derek smiled. He found it somehow adorable that his best friend was getting excited just standing near the church where some old king married some woman.

"I'm not … obsessed," Penelope argued.

"Sure, of course I wouldn't know… seeing that obsessions are just my specialty in profiling."

"I'm not obsessed. I find it just … so romantic. It's every girl's fantasy, you know? To become a princess or a queen some day, like guys want to be cowboys or astronauts."

"They're just people," Derek quipped. "Not even really good looking people. Look at Prince Charles!"

She shoved his arm. "You have no romance."

He smirked at her. "Give me some over night time, and you'll see how _romantic_ Derek Morgan can be."

She smiled and laughed. "Good Lord, we're in front of a church."

He just grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders, as they entered the stately old church.

Much later, after touring the church, they'd walked further through the streets of London.

"I never wanted to be a cowboy or an astronaut," he admitted after a few minutes, making Penelope look up at him.

"You didn't?" she asked. She couldn't believe he was still stuck on their original conversation. She waited for his nod and then continued. "So tell me… what did young Derek Morgan want to be when growing up?"

"You mean apart from heartbreaker and Casanova?" he asked playfully, getting a laugh from Penelope in return. "An explorer. That's what I always wanted to be as a kid. I wanted to discover new countries and sail the seven seas. I also wanted to see everything of the world."

There was silence for a while and when Penelope didn't answer or respond Morgan looked down at his best friend, who just looked at him with a mix of aw and a strange smile.

"What?" he finally asked.

"I think that is totally adorable. Little Derek Morgan wanting to explore the world," Penelope giggled, not noticing how Morgan just shook his head at her comment.

He squeezed her side. "Nice to know you're making my dream come true, isn't it?"

She smiled, and leaned closer to him, and they walked in companionable silence.

Soon, they reached their final destination for the day, Tower Bridge, one of the landmarks of London, and the London Tower, which held the royal family jewels.

Penelope was slightly disappointed about the fact the jewelry was so far away, you could hardly see them.

Morgan slung his arm around her shoulders again and smiled at her.

"You know, Baby Girl, if you want an up close and personal inspection, I can certain help you there with a very different kind of _family jewels_," he teased with a wink, making Penelope blush six shades of scarlet, and then giggle like mad.

"Careful what you wish for, Hot Stuff. One day I might take you up on all these offers," she threatened her best friend playfully, accompanied with another fit of giggles.

"I do hope you will, Baby. I do hope," Derek replied, and for a moment there was silence again as they made their way to the underground transit.

"How about you buy me dinner and a drink, and I think about that very tempting offer?" Penelope teased, breaking the silence.

A second later, his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. "Oh, shit. Dinner."


	8. Meet the friends

_A/N: Thank you to all of you, for the support and wonderful and lovely reviews. They make us want to write another million stories. Thank you all so very much. - Naidoo  
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At the same time Derek had wide eyes, Penelope was narrowing hers. "Okay, Hot Stuff," she said in a leery tone. "What about dinner?"

"I forgot that I promised we'd meet some buddies of mine over here for dinner tonight," he said.

She shrugged. "So. That's not so-"

"In about forty minutes."

"Morgan, we're twenty minutes from the hotel!"

He grinned sheepishly as he said, "And the restaurant is fifteen minutes from there."

She didn't say another word; instead, she turned and began to jog to the nearest tube stop, with an apologetic Morgan in tow.

**  
Only twenty minutes late, a stylish Morgan and Garcia walked into the Toad in the Hole eatery. It was a traditional English style pub, not very different than the one the first night they were in London. Dark wood bar and booths with matching dark wood beams on the ceiling. Dark curtains, low lighting, friendly smiling staff, and gaming tables.

She sort of expected someone to yell, "Norm!" when they walked in.

"Good evening, guv, miss," the host greeted. "What can I do for you?"

Derek responded, "I'm looking for-"

"Morgan!" a deep voice called out from across the bar. "Over here!"

Penelope looked over to a table full of handsome men. There wasn't a woman in sight. She groaned a little. Derek had promised there would be a bunch of men and women friends that they were meeting up with, so that she wouldn't get stuck listening to sports she had no idea about, and being bored silly.

"Clive!" Derek called out, waving back. He smiled at Penelope. "Come on, baby. Let's go."

"You promised me this wouldn't be a sausage fest, Derek," she grumbled.

He choked out over barely constrained amusement, "Did you just call this-?"

"Never mind that," she spat. "This is going to suck."

"Nonsense," he cajoled. "The guys definitely know how to treat a pretty girl."

"That's why there's none there."

"Oh, come now, be a sport."

She glared up at him, still smiling for the onlooking table. "You left no female friends in England?"

He answered her with a guilty leer.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "You owe me," she said, as she started for the table.

Penelope was going to be the one that owed Derek. She was having the time of her life flirting with Nigel, Phillip, and the aforementioned Clive. She didn't have to buy a single thing; the men bought multiple bottles of wine, baguette sandwiches with roast beef, tangy cheddar cheese, and the best kettle chips she'd ever had.

She was feeling really good, when the need to go to the bathroom hit. She looked up quickly, and the room began to spin a little.

Derek put his hand on her knee. "Baby, you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just have to go to the bathroom," she replied. She waved some air in front of her face. "Whew! Hot in here."

He grinned back. "Not really, honey. You need me to walk you to the bathroom?"

"Nah. I'm good," she answered, then went to stand.

Derek, and all the other men, stood, as she left the table. He watched as her flushed cheeks turned pinker. She smiled and said, "I'll be right back."

He watched her walk away, when Nigel patted him on the back. "Poor Garcia. She's a bit knackered."

Derek glowered. "Well, if you people would stop buying her booze."

"Come on, Morgan," Clive said from across the table. "Take it from our perspective. You bring a pretty girl into our midst; we entertain."

"Nature of the beast," Nigel replied, pouring a beer.

Phillip gave him a mock sympathetic look. "You'd do the same."

"Well, just so you know," he said, his look much more serious than he intended. "She's coming back with me."

"Ahhhh,"Clive stated, stroking his chin. "You fancy her."

"So do I," Phillip said wistfully.

"It's not that," Derek retorted quickly, feeling a bit taken aback. He didn't know what to think of all of that. "I'm here to protect her and-"

"Oh, our lovely is back!" Nigel exclaimed, before leading the table to standing.

Penelope looked at everyone with a curious look. "What are you all looking at?"

"Nothing," everyone said in unison.

Everyone but Derek.

Shrugging, Penelope sat and helped herself to another glass of wine.

After dinner and several hours later Morgan and Penelope made their way to the closest underground station, both of them feeling too tipsy to actually walk the roughly two stops that were between the restaurant and their hotel. They had a great evening, with plenty of laughs and joy, and as well as maybe a bottle of wine too much between them two of them. Penelope was giggling all the time to the stop and Morgan had problems keeping her by his side. Who would have known his best friend was way easier to fill up when it came to alcohol then him that Penelope was such a lighweight when it came to booze? For whatever reason he had always thought of Penelope beingprobably as drinking experienced as him.

The subway just drove arrived into the station when they'd made their way to the platform and Morgan was already looking forward to his bed; his body still seemed to have issues adjusting to the time.

When he'd heard an announcement for the next stop, Morgan had looked up at the map that you could find available in each train and had to realized they took the wrong one. Instead of going only two stops to their hotel, they were on their way into the city again-further and further away from their hotel with each passing moment.

There went his idea of seeing his bed anytime soon.

When he'd explained to Penelope, she'd found it rather funny that they'd taken the wrong line, like so many things she had giggled about in the past hour. Her giggle started to grow on Morgan. All the women he knew didn't giggle, they were all … tall and grown-up and serious, even when they were drunk, a fact Morgan had never really noticed or thought about. Not Penelope. He thought it was kind of cute.

"Where are we going then?" Penelope all of a sudden asked.

"Well, I'd say let's get off on the next stop and see how to best get back."

Penelope got up slowly and walked over to the other side of the wagon, studying the map of the underground system carefully.

"Ohhh ….." she exclaimed excitedly. "The next stop is Piccadilly Circus. Let's get off there and go outside."

"Why?" he asked in a rather long-suffering tone. He was tired, after all!

"It's like Times Square, only British. Can we do that? Pleeeease?" she begged, with a bit of a whining noise in her tone.

Looking at his overly excited friend for a moment, Morgan had no other choice than nodding and smiling at her. How could he ever deny her anything? And since they were passing through it anyway, why not take a look at it when already being there?

It was getting past midnight by now and the streets were rather empty. All you could see were cabs and every now and then a few single people walking over the streets and passing them. The stop was right under Piccadilly Circus, which made it quite convenient for them to not walk far anymore. They had after all, they had been walking all day, and yesterday as well. Morgan started getting tired.

Penelope seemed happy with just spending a few moments admiring the bright lights of the advertisements; she was right, it was a bit like Times Square in New York. Just … more compact and therefore even brighter. It reminded him (a bit about)somewhat of home. Not that he felt homesick or anything-he didn't. No, right now there was no other place he rather wanted to be other than next to his Baby Girl, especially seeing the excitement in her eyes and her whole face. Morgan had to ask himself why it took him so long to actually take her away for a while, just the two of them, exploring, sightseeing, having fun.

Both of them were too lazy to actually make it back to their original stop and then change subways to make it to the hotel, so Morgan called for a cab to get them back to their hotel quicker and without changing. At some point during the short ride, he'd felt Penelope's head resting against his shoulder and just a moment later, looking over at her, he realized she was asleep.


	9. Jack the Ripper

_AN: A warm thank you to my beautiful friend, klcm. Thanks for being my eyes in London. On a side note: Remember folks, this is literary license. I'm taking not proven Ripper facts and using them. Kricket_

_ I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, I got a bit side-tracked this weekend. - Naidoo_

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"I figured out what I want to do today," Derek said, sitting at the little table in her hotel room. He had tea and crumpets he picked up from the lobby for them.

"How's the crumpet?" she asked, then flicked on her blowdryer.

He took a bite of the bread, and shrugged. "It's an English muffin, only flatter."

"What do you want to do?" she asked, hanging upside down from the waist.

Derek watched her. He never figured out why women did that when they blew their hair dry. She was also straightening out any curl she had in her hair with this big paddle brush. He thought that was a pity, also. Why fight nature? Besides, she had the most gorgeous hair. Lots of blonde ringlets he wanted to touch. She turned, presenting him with her rounded posterior, and he had to fight touching that, too.

She flipped her hair back and shut off the dryer and caught him baldly staring. "Derek. Answer."

"Oh, yeah," he remarked, taking another bite before answering. "I want to do the Jack the Ripper history tour."

Penelope made a face. "Yuck. Doesn't that remind you of work?"

Derek grinned. "Exactly. He's the world's first serial killer. I'd love to see if there is anything left to profile. You know... stand in his footsteps, get into his brain."

She rolled her eyes. "It was a billion years ago, Derek. Besides, who wants to think of blood and gore and yucky icky stuff on vacation?"

"Hey," he said, arching a brow. "I went to castles and looked at jewels and all that stuff."

She opened her eyes wide. "You said you didn't mind."

"I didn't. I wanted you to be happy," he answered in just the right tone to make her feel guilty. Damn, he was good! He raised his fingers into a small, inch like approximation. "Just one tiny murder scene, P, that's-"

"Alright, cupcake. You win. Let's go."

Although Penelope had sounded like she wasn't that gung-ho to go on the tour, she was rather excited by the time they'd reached the tube stop. It was misty and gloomy, but Penelope had seemed happy about that, too.

"Adds to the mystery of the whole thing," she explained. "You know… _it was a dark and stormy night_."

"It's 11:45 am, Baby Girl."

She huffed and slapped his arm. "You have absolutely no romance in you, Derek Morgan."

"You haven't seen me in action, sweetheart," he grinned at her, wiggling his eyebrows. "Otherwise, you wouldn't say that."

"That's not romance, honey. That's smut."

He shrugged. "One in the same, sugar. One in the same."

xxxxxxxxx

They reached the main office where the Ripper Tours began, and purchased their tickets. They were part of a large group of other people. They stood at the Statue of Caesar, where their tour guide was waiting.

"Welcome to the home of the most famous serial killer of all time, Jack the Ripper," the guide began dramatically. He was dressed in a trench coat, had a Sherlock Holmes' hat on, and rolled his r's when he spoke. "We are going to bring you back in time to 1888; London, late nineteenth century. A few preliminaries before we go."

"Theater student?" Derek quipped quietly, and Pen giggled, thinking the same thing.

"If you are squeamish, if you cannot take descriptions of ghastly murders, you should not go on this tour. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Pen didn't think she'd have a problem; she'd seen pictures of _ghastly murders_ for years now. They still bothered her, but she could deal with it.

After a listing of a few other preliminaries, they were off on a short walk to Dunward street. "This was formerly Buck's Row, the site of the first murder. Picture this area as very poor and filled with many immigrants. Here, Mary Ann Nichols, a local prostitute well known in Whitechapel, was found with two deep cuts to her throat and abdomen. She was ripped open, a very rough wound."

Penelope looked up around at the big brick building. It looked so normal, like something so horrible couldn't have happened at that site. Despite thinking she wouldn't feel squeamish, she reached for Derek's arm and leaned against it. Her heart broke for the woman. She lived an unsafe lifestyle, but she didn't deserve this.

They wandered down to Hanbury Street and saw the murder area of Annie Chapman, an even more brutal murder. As they continued to walk, she learned there were so many brothels, so much suffering of women.

They ended at Miller court. She stood in front of a sealed door in the musty alley. Inside that room, the last victim, Mary Jane Kelly, was murdered. She was an engaged woman, but still worked as a prostitute. She was also pregnant. The desperation hit Penelope hard, the life that they must have lived in order to keep that job under those conditions.

"Here, you see that the Ripper had perfected his trade," the tour guide began with vigor. "Her throat was cut to the spine, her abdomen completely emptied of organs. He removed her heart, and removed her unborn child and placed it on the bedside table."

"Derek, we need to go. Now."

He glanced at her very pale, tear streaked face. Derek blanched himself; he couldn't believe he didn't notice how much this was bothering P. He was paying close attention to the things that affected his daily job: how the media polluted the case, how the crime scenes weren't preserved, the early profiling methods that were used, the unfair scapegoating and misguided attempts of the police.

He rushed her out of the alley and put his arms around her, holding her close to his chest. "Shhhh… baby. I am so, so, sorry."

"Her baby, Derek," she cried softly against his chest. "That baby…"

Derek realized then, Penelope did what she always did in a case; put a human face on the victims, felt for them in her heart. She was remarkable that way, never losing the ability to feel. He envied her that; there were times when he broke everything down to the science of profiling.

He cupped her face in his hands, his long thumbs brushing the wetness off her cheeks. "Angel, it was a long, long time ago. We've learned a lot from these cases, how to do things better. We've got to take that and move forward from it."

She sniffled. "I...I know."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You okay now?"

The tour group turned the corner and rejoined them.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied.

"Lots of drama for our last day in London, hmm?" he teased, winking at her.

She smiled back as Derek looped his arm around her shoulders. She looped her arm around his waist, and they continued on.

xxxxxxxxxx

After the gore and drama of the Ripper tour, Penelope had one last thing she really wanted to see in London.

"Where're we going now, baby?" Derek asked, munching on some popcorn her picked up from a corner store. He never complained, not even once, about any of the places she wanted to see. He was turning out to be exactly what he made himself out to be: the perfect traveling companion.

"The Royal Botanical Gardens," she said, looking at her map. "I just wanted to spend our last afternoon in an English Garden. Pure relaxation, filled with peace and serenity. A beautiful garden, you know, like the kind you see in the movies."

He gave her a blank look.

"_Pride and Prejudice_? _Sense and Sensibility_?" When the blank look stayed on his face, she giggled and continued, "Come on, honey. You'll love it. Lots of pretty flowers and benches."

Grinning, he reached for her hand, then kissed her fingertips. "If my Baby Girl wants it, I'm game."

Arriving at the Kew Gardens, they paid the entrance fee. First stop was a massive greenhouse, really more a conservatory, called the palm house. The building was massive and ancient, like a lot of the buildings they'd seen in London. Huge domed glass ceilings let the sun shine down on them and the massive palm trees, making the room warm and humid.

"It's like walking in a tropical rainforest," Pen said in awe, looking up a the enormous palms in the center rotunda, "except the bugs and snakes are missing."

Wiping some sweat off his forehead since he didn't have hair to catch the sweat, he nodded his agreement. "Gorgeous, though, isn't it?"

She smiled and reached for his hand, and they walked through, looking at tropical flowers and plants that graced the lower levels. He was right; it was exquisite, and very peaceful, just like she had hoped.

They'd been so busy, so excited, cramming tons of things to do into their itinerary, they hadn't had much time for peace. Penelope wouldn't have changed a thing, but it was so nice to just be with Derek, especially in an environment like this.

They stepped outside to the Rose Garden, which was next to the Palm House. There was a paved walkway with rose-covered arches, decorative ponds, and more roses. There were over fifty rose beds. Pen felt like she was walking in heaven, the scent itself was so beautiful, it made her sigh.

She leaned over a particularly beautiful damask rose, and sniffed. "This smells so beautiful."

Derek smiled and leaned over next to her. "You smell better, but this is damn good, too."

She grinned over at him. "Predictable compliment, but I'll take it."

"Come on," he said, reaching for her hand. "Let's sit for awhile."

Finding a bench near the middle of the path of roses, they sat and watched the crowds passing. It was very busy, probably because it was a sunny day. Pen watched as other couples held hands, like she was doing with Derek right now. The women would laugh and lay their heads on the shoulders of the men they were walking with, similar to what she'd done with Derek earlier.

Then she'd watch as the couples kissed. There would be no denying the love the other couples felt for each other; it was radiated in the magic they had when their lips touched. A sharp pang struck Penelope in her heart when she realized just somewhat she wanted that, too. It was the second time in their trip so far that she'd thought about relationship, thought about love, and thought about her best friend, too.

She glanced over at Derek, who was looking at a bumblebee that was getting pollen from a yellow and orange rose. She wondered what he thought, if he ever thought about that kind of thing with them. She was thinking he probably didn't. He didn't seem the truly romantic sort.

"If I were sitting here with you, back in the eighteen hundreds when this garden was formed," he murmured, turning to smile at her, "I would have picked one of these flowers, then dropped down on my knee..."

"Well, that-"

He interrupted her by sliding off the bench to land on one knee. He was still holding her hand. She began to blush at the highly romantic gesture. "Derek, get up. You're being an idiot!"

He placed one hand over his heart, and began to announce, "Fair lady, I couldn't pick that flower for you for fear of deportation, but know that I still hold you in the highest regard..."

"Derek!"

He leaned over and kissed her hand, before standing up and dusting himself off. Then he winked at her and helped her stand. "Come on, sugar. We have the rest of this garden to see."

xxxxxx

After leaving the garden, they'd originally decided on an early night back, as they were flying to Italy in the morning...

However, Derek learned quickly during this trip: With Penelope, plans had a way of changing...


	10. Last night London

**A Special AN: So its true: Bugging people sometimes gets you everything you want! I bugged Naidoo and Kricket about P&D seeing ****Avenue Q****, and the next day they came back to me, saying "Why don't you write it, and we'll fit it in". The chapter has been edited and changed just a little since then and they are fantastic girls! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of my favourite story. Shoutout to my RL best friend in this chapter, he's seen the show with me twice and I love him to bits. Thanks Graham! x BonesBird!**

**AN#2: We do not own anything: the italicized lyrics belong to **_Avenue Q Productions..._

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It was their last night in London; Morgan had big plans for himself and his Baby Girl. He still felt rather bad for making go on the Jack the Ripper tour earlier that day, and even though he went with her to the English gardens in the afternoon, he still couldn't quite lay his guilty conscious to rest. He knew how she reacted to these kind of things back in Quantico, but he hadn't really thought it would be the same when being faced just with facts and no actual visible evidence and pictures. He was wrong. So he promised himself he would make it up to her. Tonight, if at all possible.

Earlier that night, they had dinner and now he was walking with her through Leicester Square. She'd seen the flashing lights in the theatre at the end, reminding her of one of her dreams for London: to see a West End production.

At that moment, Derek Morgan decided he was going to make that dream come true.

"Let's see what they have left," he said, walking up to the ticket office. His idea had been rather last minute, he couldn't really take care of any big arrangements ahead of time.

Penelope looked at him rather quizzically, not sure what he was up to now. He had been rather mysterious about his plans for tonight all evening long. A few moments later, she saw him coming back to her with two tickets and a grin on his face. "Now, I know you wanted to see it in New York one day, so we're killing two birds with one stone here."

"You are taking me to a show?" she firstly asked, rather surprised. The joy that idea brought her was written all over her face. Then she looked at the tickets. "Avenue Q?" Penelope jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"That's right, Baby Girl. Royal Circle, seats D8 and D9." Derek answered with a smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and heading for the theatre, which he could see from where they were standing.

"Are they good seats?" she asked.

"The girl in the ticket office said they were." He laughed; he could feel her excited shudders as they walked. He was glad to see that the theatre was right next to the tube station, meaning they could get back to the hotel quickly and easily enough.

He led her through the first door, ending up in the queue behind a pair of Brits who were talking about "nice names". He wasn't sure what that meant, but the two of them seemed to be enjoying what they were saying by how much they were laughing.

"They seem to be happy," Penelope remarked, smiling as they had their tickets checked, and ignored everyone trying to tell them where they were sat. "I'm guessing they're regulars"

"That's a good sign then," he replied, following the usher to their seats. They were in decent seats, and he had to laugh at the map of New York on the screen, showing everyone where _Avenue Q_ was meant to be.

"It's so beautiful in here," Penelope said breathlessly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Derek watched as her eyes traced over the modeling and detailing on the balconies. He kissed the top of her head and laughed.

"I take it this was a good choice?" Morgan asked, with a hopeful smile on his lips.

"Absolutely," she whispered as there was an announcement about a cast change, just before the music started. He wasn't much for musicals, but he'd been told this was quite a funny show.

"_What do you do with a B.A. in English…"_ was the line that got him into the show, only a minute or so in. He even overlooked that it was technically a puppet. Penelope was laughing along with the rest of the audience.

"_Sounds like it was a nice dream"_

"_It was a nice dream"_

"_Goodnight"_

"_Good night Nicky"_

Derek wrapped an arm around Penelope's shoulders as she sniffled. He didn't get the emotional bits in this, because there didn't seem to be much of a story, but he nevertheless was enjoying it. More than he thought he would, too.

"_There's a fine, fine line; between love and a waste of time"_

He noticed Penelope's tears as the interval started; he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, just so that she would know he had noticed. He smiled as she pulled back; as she did, he wiped the tears under her eyes away.

"It's so good," she said with a grin. "I was so into it I forgot where we were. They are amazing."

"I can tell you were into it, baby," he added, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. Then he confessed, "I'm actually really enjoying this."

"Hot Stuff, you are amazing for bringing me here. This is the perfect finish for our stay in England," she murmured, kissing his cheek as the music restarted.

Morgan laughed at most of the songs in the second act, and he realized the show was coming to an end when Penelope started singing along.

"_Sex, is only for now. Your hair, is only for now. This show, is only for now"_

Penelope smiled and the audience laughed. He wasn't sure the significance until he remembered the signs outside about the show moving away from where it was. He smiled as Penelope wiped her eyes again, as did the girl they'd followed in who was only a seat or two away.

"_Each time you smile, it'll only last a while. Life may be scary, but it's only temporary"_

He smiled as the show came to its end. Pulling Penelope to her feet and wrapping his arm securely around her waist, Morgan lead the two of them outside, towards the tube station.

He liked the continuity of the evening when they ended up behind the same (two) couple they'd followed all evening and had to laugh when Penelope noticed too.

"They still seem happy," she commented, leaning against him while they waited to go through. A few moments passed before she went on, saying nothing else than "Thank you."

Morgan looked at his best friend, not sure what she was referring to "What are you thanking me for, Baby Girl?"

"For … all this. Just, thank you. I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks for making our first stop over here so … wonderful and special." Penelope leaned in close to him, and pressed a chaste kiss against his cheek, then she let him lead her away.


	11. Surprising friends

_A/N: Thank you to all you wonderful people for the great support. It really means a lot to us and I know I repeat myself, but it was and is wonderful to work with Kricket on this. _

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After retiring rather early, Penelope and Derek woke just as early and got ready to go to the airport for their flight to Rome. Penelope was so excited, she had always wanted to see Italy. She loved everything about Italy: the history, the food... the men. Oh yes, Italian men were originally on the top of her list.

However, spending time with Derek alone in England probably spoiled her somewhat. She enjoyed her time with him so much, it surprised her. She expected to have fun, what she didn't expect was to get to know her best friend even better than she did before. He was constantly giving, warm and loving, not just when it was convenient for him, but always. He listened to her wants, tried to deliver on them whenever he could. Suddenly, she was not longer looking forward to tall, dark and handsome, other than the one sitting next to her in the tiny plane.

Morgan was constantly in motion; she rarely had a chance to just study him, so she was relishing the opportunity. He was an exceptionally beautiful man. He had his eyes closed, napping, his lashes making dark shadows on his cheeks. His perfect lips were parted and looked moist, even though hers were dry from the airplane air. Even his skin was flawless. She could feel a large pimple trying to show up under her cheekbone, but Derek had not a blemish.

Add his charming smile, his sparkling eyes, and his sweet, teasing demeanor... no wonder she was falling for him.

She sat up quickly and looked straight ahead, as her stomach sank. No, she wasn't falling for him. Not in a million years. He was a good guy, but he was a friend. To think this was anything more than just a fun trip with a buddy would be a colossal mistake. Hell, he had friends, college buddies, they were meeting in Italy; he'd probably want to party and hook up with them, not be exclusive to her anymore.

She decided she needed to splash her face with some water, do something, to stop thinking about this. She unbuckled her seatbelt and started to stand.

"Where're you going?" he asked, sounding somewhat sleepy.

"Potty."

"Oh," he said with a yawn. "Hurry back. I sleep better when you're nearby."

Her heart gave a funny pang to that, as she hustled down to the miniscule bathroom.

Beautiful, sunny Italy sounded perfect, especially since the last time she actually saw any real sun had been years ago. Spending up to 14 hours a day locked in her office, doing all sort of researches and never seeing real day light during the day was unfortunately the downside to her job.

Morgan had spoken to his friend Luca the night before, making sure all the plans were in order. He had already told her about Luca weeks ago, that they went together to college. He was Italian, but raised in the US. After college, he moved back to Italy, and Morgan had never really seen him again. With him being so busy in Chicago and then transferring to Quantico, he never found the time.

Apparently, neither had his friend.

They had managed to keep in touch with email and an occasional phone call or such, but nothing more. For a moment, Penelope had always wondered how that first meeting after such a long time would turn out, but she'd decided on just letting it happen. No reason for her to worry about something that wasn't really her business.

"So where do we meet Luca?" she asked.

"Should be somewhere around here," Morgan replied, looking through the terminal. "Ah, there we go."

They were walking towards glass doors, and the only person around was a woman, smiling at both of them, seeming like she had been waiting for a bit.

She was tall, brunette, tanned, gorgeous and glamorous, looking as if she just stepped out of _InStyle_. Looking over at Morgan, she could see how he smiled at the woman as well. Derek was the woman's perfect match. After only three hours in a plane, Penelope knew she looked like hell and he still looked like he just came from a _GQ_ photo shoot.

Life was immensely unfair.

"That is Luca?" Penelope asked finally, the surprise clearly visible on her face.

"Yes," Morgan simply replied, the smile not fading.

"But that is a girl," Penelope stated.

"Sharp mind you have there," Morgan winked, smiling at her, before walking over to the dazzling woman.

She followed him, walking over to his friend as well.

"It's so nice to meet you. You must be Penelope," Luca said in a thick Italian accent, when they walked outside towards the car park. "I have heard so much about you. Derek likes to write about you in his emails a lot."

That surprised Penelope. She knew he had mentioned her to Luca probably at some point, but she made it sound like she had known about Penelope a long time before he decided on taking her to Italy.

Before Penelope could answer, they reached the car, put their luggage away and left the airport, with Morgan next to Luca in the passenger seat, and Penelope in the back.

She could hear them talking and laughing about the 'good old days' and talking about people and events she couldn't talk about, figuring they would be catching up on what happened since they'd parted.

She could hear Luca laughing every few seconds now. It made Penelope wonder if everything Morgan said really was _that_ funny. She herself didn't pay much attention, she was still tired from the jetlag and their early morning flight.

In the beginning, Penelope could hear Luca's distinctive voice every now and then, seeming to speak with her, pointing out landmarks when they passed them, but Penelope had drifted off to sleep after a little while, giving in to the urge of closing her eyes.

She didn't know how long they drove, but eventually the car came to a halt and she heard car doors closing and Morgan's voice next to her a few moments later.

"Sweetheart, we're here. Time to get up." He was speaking so softly and silkily, a shiver ran down Penelope's back.

They got settled in Luca's house. Penelope had the guest room, and Morgan took the couch in the living room.

"You know who to come to when you get lonely at night, Hot Stuff, right?" Penelope teased with a laugh, before dumping her luggage in her room.

"As long as you promise to keep my spot warm," he replied with a half grin, before Luca called to him again.

That evening, after Luca had treated them to a homemade Italian meal, with six courses which stretched over several hours, Morgan decided he wanted to hit town and get Luca to show him the night life. She agreed a little too eagerly for Penelope's taste, but also both of them asked whether she wanted to join in.

Penelope had declined, still fighting with jetlag and wondering yet again how Morgan did it. He didn't seem to be affected the least of their trip so far. Then again, he flew all the time cross-country; he was much more used to travel.

With them on their way to explore Rome's sizzling nightlife, Penelope decided on going to bed early, hoping a long night's sleep would bring her back to normal.

She woke up to loud noises coming from downstairs, assuming first that it would probably be Morgan and Luca, coming home from their night out. However, she caught sight of the time. It was just a little past eleven. Either their night out was a total bust, or this was not them.

Grabbing a stone figure from the nightstand, she left her room, making her way quietly through the house. Ever since she was shot and that night when Battle came back after her, Penelope decided to never face the unknown without a weapon. Although calling a stone figure a weapon might have been a _wee_ bit of a stretch.

She walked slowly down the stairs, careful not to make any noise, and followed the sound into the kitchen. She could see a man rummaging through drawers. She was about to walk further into the kitchen, when he turned around, spotting her and letting everything in his hands fall, looking startled.

He immediately started talking like there was no tomorrow and at a speed that was hard for Penelope to keep up. Not that she understood a word at all. She didn't speak Italian, but could make out a few words. Mainly the word 'sorry' though.

"I … I'm sorry. I have no idea … what you are trying to tell me…" she finally said, when he stopped speaking, catching a break.

"Ah … English," he replied with a laugh and an accent as thick as Luca's. "You must be one of my sister's friends she was telling me about."

"I'm Penelope," she said with relief, offering her hand towards the guy and putting down the stone figure on the counter in front of her.

"Cosimo," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it, before walking around the counter and embracing her.

That was something she hadn't expected and didn't see coming.

"I didn't mean to scare you or anything," he continued after he let her go, pointing towards the small statue on the counter. "I just didn't know someone was home. I thought she went out to show you the city."

"I didn't join them. I was too tired for a night tour of Rome."

Cosimo walking back around the corner and getting busy with something. "You want some coffee? Wine? Food?" he asked, when he got two cups out of the cupboard.

"I …" she began, watching him brew some coffee. "No coffee, thank you. That's not really something I should be drinking when planning on sleeping tonight again. I will have a glass of wine with you, though," she agreed.

Why decline? She was wide awake now, anyway. The wine might help her get back to sleep and Cosimo seemed like nice company.

They chatted for a while until the topic fell on to Morgan.

"You seem close, and you seem to know him well, after all what you just said," Cosimo smiled at her, having his third coffee of the night.

"We … I would say we are close. I know him quite well. He is a great friend," Penelope answered, sipping from her wine.

"Friends?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, he is a great friend of mine and I hope I am the same for him. I … why? What did you think?"

"Well, I don't know, but not friends," he answered truthfully.

"Why not?" Penelope asked, not sure what he knew of their relationship from Luca. Did Derek say something more?

"No, just … there is no such thing as 'just friends' between women and men. There is always something more," Cosimo stated and for a moment she was surprised. She knew some Italian guys were known for being notorious womanizers – that at least was the stereotype – but she never would've thought that the whole 'guys and girls can't be just friends' discussion would come up.

"But Luca and him are just friends as well. Have been since College," Penelope stated, and didn't miss the little smile on his lips.

"Morgan and Luca friends?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Yes, well… aren't they?" Penelope asked, sounding a bit unsure now.

He looked at her for a moment, not answering. Not needing to answer, because Penelope could read his answer in his face. It was obvious. They had a past. And not just as friends.

"Were they … a couple?" she asked cautiously, her heart beating erratically.

"No, not as far as I know. They never got past the sex stage."

Penelope swallowed. Of course Morgan would have slept with her. He was a heartbreaker and a womanizer back then already. Some things just never change.

"You didn't know?" he asked her, looking like he was worried he said too much.

"I … um … didn't. But I still don't agree that there can't be just friendship between a man and a woman. I mean, Morgan and me are the best example. We've been friends now for years and nothing has ever happened," she explained and added _unfortunately_ silently on her mind.

"For how long did they … stay together?" Penelope asked. She didn't want to ask it, but she needed to know. _For how long were they sleeping with each other?_

Cosimo shrugged, looking at her. "Not sure. A few months? Maybe two, or three. Who's counting anyway? And what does it matter? Sex is sex. And _amore_ was never involved…" he grinned, sipping at his coffee again.

She was about to ask further, but in that moment Morgan and Luca came back, looking like they had a great night. One glance at the watch and Penelope could see it was way past three. She didn't even notice how time flew by while talking to Cosimo.

"Baby Girl, you're up?" he asked, walking over to her and smiling.

She looked him quickly over and couldn't help wondering somewhat bitterly: If she and Cosimo wouldn't have been in the kitchen, would things between Morgan and Luca have continued where they had ended so many years ago?


	12. Bella Italia

_A/N: A lot of you guys mentioned that they hope for things to pick up in Rome, where they left of in London, but ... well, he might have gotten a clue in London, but he is still far away from making his move. As always, thanks for the kind words. YOu guys seriously rock._

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The next morning, Morgan and Penelope were taken by their host to a local coffee shop for breakfast. Penelope had slept like a stone when she went back to bed after her nightly meeting with Luca's brother and woke up this morning feeling better than ever. Morgan, on the other hand, looked slightly out of it and maybe a bit hung over. Cosimo joined them for breakfast and Penelope realized for the first time how very handsome he looked. Tall, dark, tanned and - what she only could assume – well built, if his shirts gave away anything. He had a grin that could easily challenge Morgan's any time of the day without even trying hard.

After that Luca and Cosimo showed them Rome, with all its tourist spots and postcard motives.

Luca played the perfect hostess, showing them everything, explaining things and treating them to local secrets, never leaving Morgan's side, or his arm, for that matter. It wasn't as if Penelope was jealous – okay maybe a bit – but she found herself wondering what intentions she had in regards to Morgan. According to Cosimo, they had something going on during college, but that was nearly 20 years ago now; shouldn't she have managed to get over Morgan by now?

At night, Morgan and Luca decided once more to hit the town and nightlife. This time Penelope joined them, with Cosimo in tow, who seemed to get more and more attractive with each passing minute. He had these dark, deep, secretive eyes, that somehow had Penelope hypnotized when she looked into them for too long and always a smile on his lips.

The moment they arrived at the club, Luca dragged Morgan away, leaving Penelope back with Cosimo, which she didn't really mind. He was a great company, funny and made her feel good. There was something in the way he talked to her that was so fascinating and seductive. Tonight he lavished her with compliments the moment he laid eyes on her, never leaving her side. He was so attractive, he was becoming more and more an Italian version of Morgan by the minute.

He flirted with her shamelessly, asking her several times to dance, which she always declined. She never danced in Virginia, and she certainly wouldn't start dancing here. Especially not after seeing how all of these Italian women were moving, and grinding, shaking and dancing. Penelope definitely wasn't born for moves like these, or dances like any of them. She was no Luca, who apparently seemed to have gotten very friendly and cozy with Morgan on the dance floor. She watched them for a while, saw how perfect they seemed to move together and compliment each other's moves.

"You know, just one dance. It won't hurt, I promise," Cosimo smiled at her, making one last attempt.

She had to laugh about it. How he tried, but didn't push it. Just like Morgan always had.

"Trust me, Cosimo, if that guy," she started, laughing and pointing towards Morgan and Luca, "on the dance floor didn't succeed in the three years I've known him, you certainly won't be able to get any further in just one night."

It might have been Cosimo's last attempt at asking her to dance, but there were several other guys at the club, and each time Cosimo left her alone to get more drinks, several of them approached her, asking for dances, phone numbers and other things. None of them seemed particularly shy about their requests and had such boldness in their questions Penelope was shocked for a moment.

Usually, back in Virginia, whenever she went out with Derek, some guy would make a move on her. Morgan would make sure that within seconds, the guy knew she was off limits. But now, with him just feet away from her on the dance floor, Penelope Garcia experienced for the first time of her life what it felt to have guys fighting for her attention.

A while back, she had told Morgan guys didn't see her across a smoky bar and write songs about her, but in truth right now, at this very moment, she really felt like she was that girl.

Unfortunately, Derek didn't even seem to notice her moment of triumph. He glanced over, but his attention was drawn immediately back by Luca's hands on his face, Luca's breasts on his chest, Luca's ass in his groin.

Cosimo, coming back with more drinks, instead of reacting in any way Morgan would, was actually joining in on their conversations, not being short on the flirting and compliments, either. The longer the evening lasted, the more she got used to how guys she hadn't even known ten minutes ago, where telling her how amazing she looked, how wonderful she was, and what a pretty smile she had. All of them asked her several times to dance, for dinner, drinks, or to meet them at some point the next day.

Despite of all of them being extremely nice and friendly to her, she nevertheless declined all of their invites. She wasn't ready for an international affair. She knew she wouldn't go home with any of them tonight, and probably would never see any of them in her life again, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Eventually, Morgan made his way over, seeing the scene around Penelope, and she could see the change in Morgan's posture. Like he saw all of the guys surrounding his Baby Girl as a threat and needed to protect her from every single one of them.

After being absent for the majority of the evening... _Now_ was a bad time for him to play knight in shining armor, slaying these sexy Italian dragons.

She ignored him, laughing wholeheartedly about whatever the guy next to her just said, threw her head back and turned back to him, smiling even wider. It felt good, really good and she wanted to show Morgan she didn't need his protection, at least not for tonight. She didn't see any of the guys surrounding her as threat, more as fun and entertaining.

Besides, he had_ Luca_ to protect and care for... he'd barely noticed her before, he didn't need to do it for her now.

When she looked back to the spot where Morgan had been just a moment ago, he had gone. Not expecting that, she looked frantically for a moment, not sure where he could have gone to.

"You okay, bellina?" she heard Cosimo asking, probably having noticed her looking around.

"I … " she started, but then decided she was acting crazy.

This was what she expected. They were just friends. He had been out with Luca last night. She and Derek were on vacation together, but that didn't mean they had to be glued to each other all the time.

So why did her heart ache so much?

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said and forced a smile at her companion, before returning back to enjoying the rest of the night. And maybe Morgan got her drift, she was a big girl and didn't need to be rescued.


	13. advances

_AN: Thanks as always for the reviews. A couple of quick things. We make some generalizations about Italy here (In particular, Italian driving). This is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings, rather to move our story along where it needs to be. Thanks for understanding! - Kricket_

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She hadn't seen Morgan for the entire morning, wondering at around noon whether or not she should maybe check in on him. Morgan wasn't the kind of person that slept in. She knew he usually was up by 9am, going for a run to maintain his fitness, even on weekends and when they were off. Most days he was up even sooner, running before he made it to the office or went out on another case.

Then again, she had seen him last night, how he'd been all over Luca, or rather Luca had been all over him. Perhaps both of them had decided they should continue where they had left off 15 years ago. She decided she really didn't _want_ to know where he was, if that was the case!

She was still arguing with herself whether she should just go and check, when Cosimo came into the kitchen, a smile plastered all over his face, aiming straight for Penelope. He had a bag in his hand.

"I bought breakfast, hope you are hungry," he said as he smiled at her, holding up the bag. Penelope could smell the still warm pastries. "And coffee as well," he continued, holding up a tray with coffee cups in the other.

"Ooh, doughnuts and coffee," Penelope said with a moan. Accepting the cup of Joe, she took a sip, and smiled at Cosimo. "Keep doing things like this, and I could fall in love with you."

At that moment, Morgan came into the kitchen, Luca not far behind, looking like both came right from a run. Penelope wasn't sure whether this was making her feel better – knowing that they definitely weren't still in bed – or whether she actually felt worse, knowing that Morgan usually didn't like to have company on his runs.

To top it off, Luca looked still amazing even sweaty. She wasn't wearing any make up, but looked flawless with her hair in a pony tail.

"Hey! What's this about falling in love?" Morgan asked, looking slightly surprised at the two of them in the kitchen. "Don't forget: that's my girl there, Cosimo."

Luca already went to Cosimo, grabbed one of the two coffees and some of the pastries he had bought earlier, smiling at him, before leaving the kitchen.

"You get all the girls, hmmm, Morgan?" Cosimo retorted, as Derek responded with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"So … what are we doing today?" Penelope asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, looking at Cosimo first, before glancing over at Morgan. He was still looking like a God, even in his sweaty T-Shirt that clung to all sorts of places.

"The coast," Cosimo announced before Morgan had the chance to say anything. Not that Morgan would have been able to offer much, seeing that he was probably as clueless and planless as Penelope.

"There is a really nice village not far from here, by the coast. Maybe an hour's drive. Really beautiful. You gonna enjoy it. Great food, wonderful location and views. You can even go down to the beach, take a swim and just enjoy the gorgeous weather there," he explained, smiling at Penelope.

She wasn't certain, but she thought she'd heard some sort of growl coming from Morgan's direction.

"Sounds perfect," she answered, smiling back, although she wasn't too sure about the swimming part. There was no way someone would see her in anything that would come close to a bathing suit, or God forbid, a bikini. Next to Luca, she'd feel bad enough clothed, much less half naked.

An hour later, they were on their way. Luca and Morgan were both in the backseat, and Penelope was with Cosimo in the front, which she soon started to regret. Everything she had always read or heard about Italians driving she had assumed was exaggerated turned out to be true- at least in Cosimo's case. Red traffic lights were more or less general _guidelines_ that didn't seem to apply. Speed limits seemed to be more like a suggestion, but one that no one seemed to really agree with it. The general consensus among Italian drivers appeared to be this: who needs traffic laws?

One thing was for sure: if she made it through this car ride, she _certainly_ would be spending the way back in the backseat.

"_Tutto a posto_?" she heard Cosimo asking from her left.

She didn't have a clue what that meant. She only responded by giving him a rather scared look, hoping that this might make him slow down, or at least stop at traffic lights.

No such luck.

It would be another thirty minutes until Penelope could leave the car again, never having felt so grateful to have her feet on the ground. For a moment she even considered throwing herself down on her knees, kissing the ground like the Pope after a flight, but thought that might have been a bit too much.

"Are you okay, Baby girl?" Morgan asked. "You look a bit … queasy."

"I will get back to you on that question, if you don't mind," she replied with a weak smile.

"Maybe she isn't used to Italian driving. Happens quite often, but no worry. It usually doesn't last long," Luca commented as well.

Penelope thought she could hear a laugh in Luca's voice. Not that Pen cared much right now; she was rather focused on taking a few more deep breaths, hoping to feel any better soon.

Morgan walked over to her, rubbing his hand on her back. She groaned; he was pitying her. She knew she couldn't compete with that top model girl a few feet away, but pity she certainly didn't need, either.

"I'm alright…." She announced shortly after he had walked over to her, making him look at her, still looking concerned.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," she replied, giving him a weak smile.

He still didn't look convinced, but let go of it for now.

They spent the entire day by the coast, starting off with lunch and wine, which took them several hours to complete. Normal, as she was told by both Luca and Cosimo. In Italy, life was not measured by time apparently.

After lunch they walked down to the beach, enjoying the wonderful Italian weather and sun. Their hosts took good care of their guests, especially Luca. She seemed to take wonderful care of Morgan as it seemed to Penelope. They were constantly laughing and joking and seemed to be somehow in some world of their own occasionally. Morgan's flirting hit the highs around early afternoon, with constant compliments and innuendoes – the kind of stuff she used to get back in DC.

Luca apparently came prepared, seeing within seconds of hitting the beach she was out of her clothes and sporting some bikini, making Penelope wonder if there was just one small part on her body that wouldn't be perfect and just stunning. It seemed like whatever she wore or did, she just couldn't be anything else than stunning. Now with her tanned skin, a white bikini and long flowing hair, she looked like she stepped right out of a fashion magazine.

Penelope, on the other hand, still felt rather queasy. It wasn't as bad as when she got out of the car a few hours ago, but only the thought about the return ride made her feel anything else than great. She sure would fight for the seat in the back of the car. Usually she never had minded which seat she got, but with the Italian driving, she feared she just wasn't made for being in the passenger seat in this country. .

"You alright, dolcezza?" she heard Cosimo asking from the left.

"Huh?" she asked, her thoughts far away. "Oh, sure. Sorry, I have been thinking."

"Who's the lucky guy, then?"

"What makes you think it's a guy I've been thinking about?" Penelope asked curious, a smile spreading across her face.

"I just know. It always is anyway. I hope it isn't just one guy you think about," he stated, making her look at him surprised.

"A girl as pretty as you should be picking from a handful of admirers, and even then have a few in the backhand just to make sure," he explained.

Penelope had to laugh wholeheartedly at his thinking and knew she was blushing like mad.

"They should be fighting for your attention, taking you out to dinners and dates, keeping your week busy, try to impress you," he kept on and on, and by now, Penelope had completely forgotten about Morgan and Luca, and fully focused on Cosimo, who kept her laughing at a rapid pace and made her feel extremely good. She really should consider some of his ways. But then again, back in DC there weren't really hordes of guys fighting for her. There was actually no one.

However, now they were in Italy. Sunny, warm, flirty Italy - where guys seemed to drawn to her like a moth to the light - thousands of miles away from home. Maybe she should just go for it, get herself some … romance. It seemed like a great idea, especially when she looked at Morgan, who seemed too busy with Luca to make good on his promise to not abandon her the moment he caught sight of the first cute girl.

What was she thinking? She and Morgan were just friends; whereas Luca and Morgan had a history. They had a lot of catching up to do.

She was interrupted in her thinking when Cosimo suddenly held something in front of her: ice cream.

"I figured if I can't make you stop thinking and worrying, maybe this will," he said as he laughed slightly, holding the cone closer to her.

She had to admit it was a cute gesture. He seemed so concerned and tried really hard to get her mind off of things, especially since he didn't even know what things her mind was occupied with. He made her laugh and blush as well, with all the compliments. She knew there was nothing behind it really.

Still, he deserved a reward. Leaning closer to him, she kissed his tanned cheek. "Thank you. You're a sweetie."

Cosimo's eyebrows shot upward in surprise, then his dark eyes sparkled. "Ah! Finally my Italian charm is starting to work!"

She giggled as he put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, similar to how Derek would do it. She sighed. Cosimo was such a tease; all Italian men were such teases.

When her look drifted shortly from Cosimo to Derek and Luca, it seemed like Morgan didn't know that particular fact. He had a rather unhappy look on his face for a moment, like he was a bit mad. Morgan looked like he was going to come over, but he must've changed his mind. Instead, he turned away rather quickly, back to his fawning Luca.

In the early evening they decided that they should return back to Rome, with Penelope sitting blessedly in the back seat.


	14. Jealousy

_AN: Thank you for the reviews! Okay, people! Time to crank up the tension a wee dram... Gosh, this chapter was so much fun to write!:) Kricket_

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Penelope had a much more pleasant ride home from the beach than her ride there. She sat in the back seat with Cosimo. Luca insisted on driving and having Derek up front with her so she could show him the sights. Penelope didn't care; as long as she had the much safer feeling backseat, it was all good with her.

Cosimo stretched his arm out to her. "_Dolcezza_. Would you like to lay on my shoulder?"

Penelope nodded. The cramped back of the small Italian car almost demanded that sort of closeness. "Thank you."

After she rested her head on his shoulder, Cosimo tucked her even tighter against his body. "Better?"

She closed her eyes, noticing the delicious woodsy scent of Cosimo. She was trying to peg the expensive Italian cologne he was wearing, but she couldn't quite figure it out. It didn't matter; it was glorious. She sighed and snuggled. "Much better."

"Luca!" Cosimo called out, causing Penelope to open her eyes and his sister to look in the rearview mirror.

Penelope had to fight to keep her eyes open; Luca drove as wickedly as her brother.

"_Si_?"

He kissed the top of Penelope's head, which caused her to look up. Cosimo _winked_ at his sister. "I won't fight you to drive ever again. You can drive from now on. In fact, you chauffeur us around all night."

Penelope giggled. Cosimo was such a flirt.

Cosimo's voice dropped to a sing song purr as he said, "Nothing better in the world: a _bella signorina_, resting on my arm, seeing the sites of _Roma_..."

"Hey," Derek barked from the front seat. "Let's stop there for dinner. I'm hungry."

Penelope realized that must be true. Derek sounded cranky; he always was cranky when he was hungry.

* * *

The next morning, Penelope was surprised to see Derek standing in her room when she opened her eyes. She'd had such a pleasant night, flirting with Cosimo. She had even shared a plate of pasta with him, like she used to do back in Quantico with Derek. He was a sweet man-from what he'd told her he was oversexed, but sweet.

"Would you like to see the stars from my room,_ dolcezza_?" he'd purred while they shared dessert. "I have an open balcony; you can see for miles."

Penelope hadn't taken him up on his offer. No doubt he was a beautiful man, and she'd been sure he knew his way around a bed, but she hadn't been sure she was ready to be yet another notch on Cosimo's bedpost.

Derek, on the other hand, had spent most of the night either quiet or talking with Luca, who had been animated and non-stop chatty. Derek had looked like he'd had somewhat of a headache; he'd excused himself to go to bed immediately after they'd arrived home.

"Too much sun, Hot Stuff?" she'd asked, concerned.

Walking over to her, he'd looked at her, like he'd been truly thinking. A second later, he'd cupped her cheek in his hand, then caressed gently under her chin. "Yeah, Baby Girl. Have a good night."

She'd anticipated that he'd sleep in for a long time. So, seeing him standing there, holding two paper cups of coffee, was a pleasant surprise.

"Morgan, what's up?" she asked, sitting up, straightening her nightshirt that was twisted on her body. "Everything okay?"

He sat on the edge of her bed and handed her a cup. "Everything's fine, angel girl. I just wanted to know what you wanted to do today."

She took a sip of the very hot and strong Italian brew and sighed gratefully. "I don't know. What do Luca and Cosimo have-"

"No, sweetheart," he interrupted. "I was thinking just us two today." He looked down at his cup of coffee for a second, then looked back up at her. "If that's okay with you?"

Penelope watched Derek. He looked so unsure; it was unlike him. She smiled brilliantly. "Of course I want to spend the day with you! Where should we go?"

He beamed back at her, an odd expression of relief on his face. "Wear good shoes, baby…we're going touring today."

* * *

After spending all day shopping and sightseeing with Morgan, oohing and ahhing over the Lamborghini's and Ferrari's that passed them, eating gelato from roadside stands, marveling in how old everything was, Penelope was pooped. She entered Cosimo and Luca's kitchen, taking a seat.

Cosimo was there. "_Bella_! Welcome back! Did you have a nice time?"

She pointed to her numerous bags on the floor with a huge grin on her face.

Cosimo began to chuckle, the crinkles by his espresso brown eyes enhancing his looks. "Ah! Definitely sign of a good time there!"

Penelope took off her sneakers. "My feet are so sore…"

"Well, I can remedy this," Cosimo replied as he squatted in front of her and started rubbing her foot.

Derek entered the kitchen, carrying twice as many bags as Penelope did. He'd stopped to pay the cab driver (Who drove like Luca and Cosimo!), and then insisted on carrying the bulk of the bags, although most of them were Penelope's.

He was scowling when he looked at her."Baby. Get dressed. We're going to dinner, then dancing tonight."

The coolness in his tone surprised her. Was he angr-

She watched as he looked at Cosimo, then her feet, then Cosimo again, and then watched his scowl turn even blacker.

It hit her then…was he _jealous_ of Cosimo? Derek, jealous? She'd never seen him jealous in his life; he couldn't be!

"Oh! Where we go tonight?" Cosimo asked, not releasing her foot.

"Sorry, Romeo," Derek growled. "It's just me and Penelope tonight."

Cosimo gave her a hurt look that knocked the wind out of her sails. She found herself replying in an apologetic tone, "I'd promised, Cosi."

"_Non e niente_," Cosimo said, then translated with a smile when she looked confused, "it's nothing. I will see you tomorrow, _dolcezza_."

* * *

After heading out for a wonderful dinner with Penelope, he suggested they go dancing.

"Somewhere you went with Luca?" she asked, and he noticed no vitriol in her words. She didn't seem at all upset about all the time that Luca was demanding of him. He felt horrible; he wanted to spend time with Penelope, but Luca was overpowering.

"No," he said. "I saw this place and wanted to show you."

The small club had French style doors that opened to a veranda. Outside, there was a dance floor with surrounded by iron pillars draped with vines and deep green leaves. In the corner was a bar that was scrolled iron with a glass topper, with many tall, dark, and handsome Italian people sitting and standing nearby drinking wine and cocktails.

The moment they walked into the room, many sets of hungry eyes turned and looked at his best friend. He placed an arm protectively around her shoulders, holding her closer. He didn't trust these foreigners around his Baby Girl. She didn't speak Italian; they could construe anything she said into, _Sure, I'd love to go to bed with you, Fabio_.

These men were wolves, and Penelope was a sweet little lamb they wanted to gobble up in one bite. All of them. Especially Cosimo. That man was a supreme player; Luca told him stories that made Derek feel chaste in comparison. He didn't like how friendly Cosimo was getting with Penelope. He was keeping an eye on the two of them.

"Derek, can you please loosen your grip?" Penelope asked sweetly. "It's hot, and your arm is sweaty."

Derek didn't realize he tightened his grip so tightly on her. He moved his arm, but kept his palm on her back. He found a table in the corner, although there were plenty in the center of the room that would've been fine. He held the chair out for her, and she sat, crossing her legs and baring her calves.

Derek watched as the Italian eyes took in the long lines of Penelope's legs. One particular man standing at the edge of the bar began to smirk as an appreciative light entered his eyes. Derek scowled at him, and he turned away sadly. Derek had a feeling he was going to have to deck some dude before he left this place.

"D, can you get me something to drink?" She touched the base of her throat, then fanned herself. "It is still hot, and I am so thirsty. Wine, please. Real Italian wine."

Derek grumbled, not wanting to leave her alone. He almost thought about bringing her with him to the bar, but he knew her feet hurt, even in her new Italian leather pumps. Reluctantly, he stood and headed to the bar.

Penelope couldn't believe the amount of male attention she was getting at this bar! She was ready to paste herself to Derek's side, but decided she needed to live a little. Within the space of a heartbeat after Derek left, a very handsome young man maneuvered his way over to her. He said something quickly in Italian.

She shook her head. "I'm so sorry; I don't-"

"_Bella_, will you dance with me?" he asked in perfect English, a devastating smile breaking across his face. He reached out a long-fingered, tanned hand to her.

Wow, was this man beautiful! After spending all day yesterday feeling either sick and queasy in a car, or pale and bloated on the beach, it felt really good to have a handsome man ask her to dance. She glanced over at Morgan, who was still waiting in line to get her beverage. She didn't think D would mind; if it were a good looking Italian woman, he would've danced with her. He spent enough time with lovely Luca, without any concern with where she was or what she was doing.

"_Si_," she said, answering with one of the few Italian words she knew, putting her hand in his.

XXX

Counting out his Euros to pay for his Peroni and her wine, he glanced back at the table and saw Penelope was missing. Her little wrap she was carrying was still draped across the chair, but the woman was nowhere to be found. His eyes did a quick scan of the dance floor, and he sucked in his breath with what he saw.

Penelope was swaying in the arms of some young stud, her body pressed close to his. He was built a lot like Derek himself, strong and hard; Penelope's curves melted into the man, and her skirt swished around both of their legs as they moved. The unmistakable fire of lust burned in the Italian's eyes, making Derek feel uncomfortable and offset.

The man spun her and turned her in his arms to the rhythm of the acoustic guitars and drums. With an extra turn, he held her in his arms again, his free hand moving up her back to play in her blonde curls flowing over her shoulders. Derek looked at them wistfully. He knew the man was in heaven; her hair was so soft, so silky.

Something amazing happened next. On the next turn, he saw Penelope look up, saw her notice the intensity of the man's desire, and he saw her recognize and appreciate her appeal. He'd never seen her look so confident, so utterly sensual, so sure of her magnetism. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

Penelope was swaying, enjoying being held in Giuseppe's arms. She learned his name, and that he was a pharmacist in nearby Spinaceto. He was a good dancer, and she was having fun, when he halted as a familiar hand clamped on his shoulder.

"_Lei e mia_," Derek said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Giuseppe bent over her hand and kissed it, then with a sad last look, walked away.

"What did you say?" Penelope asked, somewhat confused.

"Nothing important," Derek murmured, not wanting to answer her at that moment. He was as confused as she looked. He told the Italian that she was his, but that wasn't exactly true. He just knew he'd wanted to dance with her, he'd needed to dance with her more than he'd needed air to breathe.

He held her close, feeling her softness as the perfect foil to his strength. He swayed, inhaling her sweet, familiar scent, his hands caressing her back. Nothing cloying or artificial, just the essence of Penelope. He moved his hands upward, moving up to her hair, touching that softness that was his to touch. Everything in him was screaming, _Mine!_ No matter how irrational that thought was.

He closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at the other man glowering their way. He knew now what he was feeling when he was watching the Italian; he saw it in the other man's eyes as he danced with her.

Pure, unbridled jealousy.

XXX

"Derek?" she asked, looking up at him. He'd suddenly stopped moving.

When his gaze met hers, Pen had to fight a look of shock. For in the deep, chocolate depths of Derek Morgan's eyes, she saw the same mirrored look of lust Giuseppe had. It unnerved her, she didn't know what to think. It was too much to handle.

"Let's go have our drinks," she said, stepping out of the circle of his arms.

As quickly as the fire in his eyes erupted, it was quelled. "Sure thing, _Ragazza Bambina_," he said, and the teasing, good humor that was usual for her best friend returned.

_Si_-yes

_Lei e Mia_- She is mine.

_Dolcezza_- Sweetness

_bella_- Beautiful

_Ragazza Bambina_- Baby Girl


	15. the end of Italy

_AN: Thanks for the reviews! Now, a touch of angst...a wee nibble, just to give it spice! I had a blast with this one, too (dodging tomatoes)... :) Kricket_

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* * *

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Penelope woke with a bittersweet feeling. Today was their last day in Italy. They were catching an afternoon flight for Paris, the city she'd wanted to see the most in the entire world. She was excited to be going, but she was going to miss the beauty of Italy and the charm of its people.

Especially Cosimo. He was such a wonderful man. When she'd arrived back home after dancing with Derek for part of the night, both Cosi and Luca were waiting up.

"Ah,_ dolcezza_! Did I lose you tonight to _amore_?" he'd teased, standing up to greet her. "Come; I have poured you some wine. A nightcap, so you sleep like an _angela_." (female- Angel)

Luca had stood also, and made her way over to Morgan. She'd had large, glistening tears in her eyes. "Our last night! I don't know how I can bear to part from you again, _il mio tesoro_." (my darling!)

Penelope hadn't been able to hear the rest of the conversation, and she didn't really care. Morgan had been completely himself again the entire car ride back to the house; she'd been starting to think the light she'd seen in his eyes was an aberration, like she'd just made it up. He'd been certainly absorbed by Luca the moment they'd arrived back at the home-and that hadn't been a figment of her imagination.

Instead of bemoaning that fact, she'd let Cosimo dole out compliments and make her feel like a desirable woman again, even if he'd only teased just like Morgan always had.

She had everything packed and ready to go. Each country she went to, her suitcases became heavier and heavier. She was going to have to start shipping some of the things back to Quantico ahead of time. Maybe Cosi knew where the post was?

After a light brunch and some wine, Cosimo had brought them to the airport. Luca had been too distraught over Derek leaving again to go with to wish them bon voyage. Cosimo had driven surprisingly slowly, as if he was having a hard time letting go, too.

Pulling the car to the unloading zone, he'd parked the car. Cosimo opened the trunk and unloaded her bags, and then Derek's. She and Morgan stood on the curb. Derek began loading their bags on a cart.

"Thank you, Cosi, for everything," she said sweetly, stretching her hand out to him.

To her surprise, he pulled her into his arms and planted a massive kiss on her lips. This was no little kiss; it was strong, hot and hard, and probably would've been pleasurable, if she was ready for it. Instead, she gasped, leaning against his chest.

"Penelope… I... never meet girl like you," he whispered fiercely in broken English. He held her hand to his lips and kissed it. "_Potrei amare, bella_…" (I could love you, beautiful)

A second later, Penelope was wrenched from Cosimo's arms. Derek placed her behind him, as he growled, "What the hell are you doing?"

Cosimo glared at him. "I should ask you the same, my friend!"

"Listen, _friend_, back off," Derek spat. "She isn't your usual type of girl."

"Of course she isn't! Any fool would recognize this! She is above such things! Not my usual...Ha!" Cosimo, who was a quite a bit shorter than Derek, puffed out his chest, then narrowed his eyes, as he smiled nastily and said, "Not yours, either, Morgan, eh?"

Derek's eyes widened, like something Cosi said struck a chord, then they narrowed as he hissed, "I said it once; I'm saying it only one more time… Back. Off."

"You offend my honor," Cosimo replied, as he pushed up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Penelope watched the entire thing in shock, wondering what the hell was happening! Recognizing the gesture Cosimo just made, her eyes widened. Oh, dear God, they were going to hit each other! Quickly, she stepped in between the two men. "Gentlemen, please! ... And I use the word _gentlemen_ loosely right now!"

Both men stepped apart.

"Derek, I will talk to you on the plane." She gave him a narrow glance, then turned and smiled gently. "And you, Cosimo, thank you for being so good to me, but this is not the beginning of a grand romance. We live thousands of miles apart, and I am not moving and neither are you because of a four day romance."

"Bella, my darling, my angel, my-"

"No!" she snapped, and watched the Italian give her a heartbroken look.

_Wow, he really does look like, he fell hard_, she thought.

She patted his cheek with sympathy, then turned quickly and left, leaving Derek following with the baggage cart.

* * *

At the ticket counter, Morgan was extremely quiet, as was Penelope. She turned to look at him and waited for him to look back at her, but he stared straight ahead, looking at the flight schedule, like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She turned away then, her lips pressed thin, feeling just as peeved and unhappy as he was.

They checked their bags, made their way through customs, and were now in the gate, waiting for the flight. Penelope sat, waiting for Derek to come back from the bathroom, before she stood, stretched, and got a cup of coffee. Out of pure habit, she brought one back for Derek, too.

"Peace offering?" he asked archly, reaching for the cup.

She held the cup out of his reach, glaring at him as she sat down. "You're the one who should be offering peace! What was that scene back there, Morgan?"

"_Scene_? It wouldn't have been a _scene_ if you hadn't lead him on."

Penelope's mouth fell open and she gasped. "What! I didn't lead him on!"

Morgan's lip quirked. "You didn't exactly push him away, baby."

She rolled her eyes. "I was _kind_ to him, Derek. That's all!"

"Yeah... real kind," he snapped. "Sharing your meal, sharing your dessert, staying up all sorts of hours chatting with him like he was your best friend."

"Well, someone had to be my _best friend_, since_ you _were too damn busy with Luca!"

Derek's mouth pinched tight. "Luca put us up for the entire stay. It is her house. Her freeloader brother stays there, and romances the pants off of you-"

"Don't even start with that, Derek," she growled, standing up quickly again. "My pants stayed firmly on. I am not a slut, unlike certain other people sitting here are!"

Derek watched her walk away, stiff and unbending, and immediately took a deep breath. He'd definitely went too far, but he couldn't help himself. He'd seen Cosimo kissing her and he'd seen red. He'd wanted to kill the man, and he had no good reason for it. He didn't want to fight with her, he didn't know what the hell was wrong with himself.

Although he hadn't meant to insinuate she was sleeping with Cosimo, he knew he still needed to apologize, and he needed to do it quickly before any more damage was done...at least before they landed in Paris.

He didn't know where Penelope disappeared to. It was starting to make him nervous. He looked around, but came up empty. Finally when they called boarding for the flight, she showed up, her eyes red and swollen behind her glasses.

"Aw, baby," he began, feeling worse than ever, but she put a hand up to silence him.

"Not a word, Morgan."

* * *

Handing her ticket to the ticketing agent, she boarded the plane. After having spent the last twenty minutes in the bathroom at Rome's Fiumicino airport, sobbing her eyes out, she was not in the mood to hash it out with her so-called best friend.

How dare he accuse her of sleeping with Cosimo, of leading him on, when he had stupid Luca sobbing so hard, she couldn't go to the airport to bid them farewell? He had balls, that Morgan, and he needed to be kicked in them at the moment. He'd made her feel like a cheap floozy, when he was the one who was a floozy before they'd even entered Italian airspace!

Sitting in her window seat, she fastened her seatbelt and waited for Derek to take his seat by her. He fastened his belt, and mercifully didn't say a word. She stared out the window at the oh, so exciting tarmac, and planned on finding a way to do France without him.

After the plane taxied and took off, and the flight attendants did their safety spiel, he broke his silence.

"Look. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say you were screwing Cosimo."

She kept looking out the window, not turning to face him.

Five minutes later, he said, "I was kind to Luca because she let us stay there. She's a good friend."

Penelope stiffened in her seat, but still didn't turn to look at him.

He sighed heavily. "Come on, Baby Girl. We still have almost two weeks-"

She turned, only to stand up. "I'm going to the bathroom. Excuse me."

Squeezing past him was not going to be easy. She had to either stick her butt or her breasts in his face, and Derek wasn't standing up to help her, either. Leaning forward, she weaseled herself past him, her breasts nearly falling out in his face. She watched the heat of amusement light in his eyes. She stood in the aisle, glared at him, and walked to the small john at the front of the plane.

* * *

Penelope stood in the bathroom to get her temper back under control, then splashed her face with water and returned to her seat. Squeezing past him, her bottom near his chest, she plopped back into her seat gracelessly, and fastened her belt.

"Listen, Baby G-"

"No, _you_ listen," she snapped. "You set us up in your _ex-lover's _house- don't look so surprised, Cosimo told me- pick right up where you left off, and then have the _audacity_ to get mad at me when an attractive man hits on me?"

"_Ex-Lover_?" he asked with a low growl. "Luca and I had a three week affair. We'd both decided we were better off as friends."

"I cahn't beeer to leeeve you," she mocked in Luca's voice.

"Better than 'I could love you, beautiful!'"

Penelope blinked. "_That_ was what Cosimo said?"

"That's_ all _youcare about?" He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You're too much!"

She stiffened again. "You know, I don't know what your problem is, Morgan. We are friends, only friends- I don't need you as my bodyguard, more than that, I don't _want_ you as a bodyguard. I watched you paw your _lover _for five days while you barely noticed me; you'll probably find a new lover in Paris. What is the big damn deal if I do, too?"

She knew she was shooting low with that, but she was so hurt, she wanted to wound him. He was being overprotective, when he was the one running away with Luca all day? That was patently unfair, when all she'd done was be friendly to Cosimo.

Derek smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah. I probably will. So, we have a truce, right?"

She smiled, but she knew it didn't meet her eyes, either. "Yeah, truce."

"Please buckle your seat belts and put your seat backs and tray tables in the upright position. We are preparing for landing in Paris, the city of lights," the flight attendant announced. "May you enjoy this city known for its romance."

And instead of feeling elated to be going to the greatest city in the world, Penelope felt like crying.


	16. city of love?

_A/N: To our lovely French readers: In order to paint the tone we need for this part of the story, we need to make France look rather inhospitable. This is because it is being seen through the eyes of the broken-hearted. This has nothing to do with a reflection on your fair country or city! (Fairgirl, please note!) _ Nous vous remercions de votre compréhension, mes amis._ Avec un affection, Kricket (Le Grillon… hee hee- my French is very rusty!)_

_A/N II: I'd like to issue a big, massive tissue warning for this chapter. You'll need it trust me - Naidoo  
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* * *

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The plane touched down without incident in Paris, France; however, their gate was blocked due to some maintenance issues with the previous plane. They were sitting, waiting on the tarmac for thirty minutes, while everyone grumbled around them.

Penelope remained silent. She just wanted to get away from Derek. Even seeing the lights of the city when the plane touched down didn't help her mood at all. Morgan remained silent, also. He'd never even looked in her direction. He'd stared stoically, like he was right now, at the front of the plane.

Finally, they were allowed to disembark. There was an orderly rush to the front of the plane, as everyone made their way out the gangway to the gate. Penelope and Derek went through customs without any issue, then made their way to baggage claim.

Derek reached for her bags, but Penelope insisted on carrying her own. She didn't want to be indebted to him for anything. She locked her luggage together, found a baggage cart, and piled the rest on it.

Derek locked his two cases he had, and tossed his carry-on over his shoulder, and began to stride forward. As usual, even after that horrible wait on the tarmac, Derek looked like he could grace GQ.

He sucked.

Pen started to push her luggage cart, when one box from the top fell off. She was pretty sure it was Italian crystal she'd bought. Her cart was so heavy it had its own forward momentum. Even though she dug her heels in, she rolled over the top of it. She gasped when she heard the glass crackling.

When she finally stopped the overloaded cart, two more boxes fell off the top, along with her heavy suitcase. She groaned; looking up, Derek was rolling along ahead of her, quite a distance away.

With tears in her eyes, she tossed the top box away in the nearest garbage receptacle, then started loading the cart again. A moment later, she saw familiar brown hands assisting, moving luggage around to make a more stable base, and settling things together.

"I got it," she grumbled.

"Let me help," he murmured gently.

"I don't _want _your help," she retorted. Some of the hair from her ponytail came loose and was dangling obnoxiously, tickling her nose. She growled, looked up at him from her crouched position, and blew the hair from in front of her face in a huff.

He narrowed his eyes at her and said, "I'm doing this for myself, then. I want to get out of here, and you're holding me up."

She didn't say anything else at that point. She continued to load the cart, trying to hold back a pout. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her pouting, although she really felt like doing it!

Her heart was breaking very slowly. Paris was not turning out at all like she'd thought it would be.

* * *

Finally they made it out the front door to the taxi stand. Derek watched as Penelope struck up a conversation in French with the stand operator. The man looked impressed with her words and nodded appreciatively. Derek noted he seemed to be impressed with her cleavage, also; his eyes kept drifting south while his smirk lingered on his face.

What was it with European men and Penelope? He didn't have these problems back in Quantico, keeping her safe and out of harm's way.

He sighed and grumbled, sitting on the bench, waiting for the taxi, and for Pen to stop flirting. She was right. It wasn't his job to protect her from male attention everywhere. He wished she understood; he just didn't want to see her get hurt. Cosimo was not a good guy, in spite of what Pen thought. He heard that from his sister's point of view.

Well...Derek balked. Not really. She'd just said Cosimo was a "player" with a string of broken hearts. Derek didn't want to see Pen's name added to that string.

Anyway, she'd made her point. She was an adult, she could do what she wanted to do. Like he could do what he wanted, too. With whomever he wanted to do it with.

A wash of guilt rolled over him when he thought about Luca. He didn't like feeling like he needed to explain his relationship with Luca to Penelope. She really was just a friend now; or at least that was what Derek thought before they arrived in Italy.

They'd had a rather steamy affair years ago that ended amicably. Neither of them had wanted a long term relationship when they were twenty. They'd just started corresponding again via email a couple years back. They had good conversations; he'd thought visiting would be fun.

It wasn't until the first night on the dance floor that Derek had realized she wanted to resume their previous affair, and the second night he'd realized she'd wanted even more than that. He'd tried to show he wasn't interested, without being rude to her, since she did house him and Penelope. He'd thought traveling with a woman would turn Luca off, too, in case she had those feeling.

But then Penelope and Cosimo became an item, Luca noticed and became even more forward, and Derek had to come straight out and tell her he wasn't interested. That brought the tears and the emotions before they left.

He was also called a _bastardo_. That word anyone could understand.

As a taxi pulled up, Penelope came to stand by him. Her brilliant smile she had a moment ago left when she faced him. "It's here."

Derek felt a pang in his chest. He missed her smile. It had only been a few hours, but he actually longed for it. He longed for the warmth they had for each other in England, and their last night in Italy.

They slid into the cab, and Penelope said, "_L'hotel Napoleon, sil vous plait_?"

"_Oui, Madame_," the cabbie replied.

"_Non, m'sieur_," she mentioned with a smile, "_mademoiselle_."

Even Derek, who couldn't speak a word of French, understood what that was all about.

"_Oh, Ouais_!" the cabbie said, smiling with his stained yellow teeth.

They cruised down the narrow, dark streets, past famous landmarks. Derek watched Penelope's face as she looked out the window. Although she wasn't smiling, he saw her eyes light up at some of the things he knew she wanted to see.

As they passed the Eiffel tower, Derek reached for her knee and squeezed lightly. "Do you want to see that tomorrow?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, _I_ am going to see that," she said crisply, removing his hand. "_You_ can do what you want to do."

"Come on, now, Baby Girl" he snapped, getting exasperated. He was travel weary, cranky, and so not in the mood to fight. "Grow up and let it go."

They pulled in front of their hotel, saving Penelope from having to answer him. She glared and stomped out of the cab, leaving him to pay the cabbie. He couldn't understand what the man was saying, so he gave him a bill from his wallet.

From the delighted expression on the cabbie's face, he obviously overpaid.

He waited for their bags; this time, Penelope didn't fight him with the baggage cart. He was glad, he was sick of having to fight for every little thing. Following P into the lobby, she stopped at the front desk and spoke in fluent French to the desk clerk.

Derek interrupted. "Excuse me, but is there someone who speaks English I could talk to?"

The clerk looked down his long, thin nose at him. "_Oui, m'sieur_, I speak English, and would be happy to assist."

This man reminded him of every swanky hotel concierge he'd ever encountered-arrogant without good reason. He smiled icily. "I just like to know what is going on."

"Oh, I am sorry, M'sieur," the clerk apologized, looking completely abashed.

Derek felt a little guilty for making an assumption. The poor man looked like he was ready to crawl under a rock.

Penelope stiffened, looking embarrassed. "That was uncalled for. I would've told you!"

His grin turned nasty again. He didn't need to be chastised by her. "I don't trust that you would right now. You seem rather petty to me."

Penelope's eyes grew large, and for a moment, he could see the hurt behind them, before her lips narrowed and pinched. She turned to the clerk. "_M'sieur_, can you change the adjoining rooms to single rooms on separate floors, please?"

He shook his head sadly. "_Non, madame_, I cannot."

"Don't worry, P," Derek said behind her. "I'll leave you alone."

"I'll lock my side anyway, thank you very much," she shot over her shoulder, sticking her nose in the air in a hoity-toity fashion.

"Go ahead, if you want to," he replied smoothly, "but believe me: There's nothing in your room that would interest me."

He saw her stiffen again, and for a moment, he felt his stomach plummet. He shouldn't have said that, but he couldn't stop himself. She should know he wouldn't attack her. Her reaction to this was out of line; she had to know that.

After that, it was silence. Even the clerk was quiet, saying nothing until he handed them the keys. "Enjoy your stay…" he said, but even he looked doubtful.

Heading up the elevator with the bellboy rolling the baggage in tow, they made it to their beautiful suite of rooms. It was a perfect room that would have inspired romance in anyone...but them. Decorated with classical furniture, floral colors with white accents and fresh French lavender, it was relaxing and gorgeous.

Derek turned to tip the Bellboy, who put the bags in the combined central room of the suite. It was an area to lounge and relax. When he turned, Penelope was already in her room. He heard the door lock turn.

Derek went into the bathroom to wash his face and hands, but couldn't get the cold, angry look Penelope had out of his mind. He needed to fix this, before nightfall. He wandered to her room and raised his hand to knock, but then listened.

She was sobbing.

The doors were thin, and he couldn't help but hear her. He felt like the world's biggest sonofabitch-and rightfully so.

"Garcia…" he called out. "Baby Gir-"

"Go...away." Each word took forever to get out, between the sobs.

"P, come on, sweetheart." He waited and heard no response. "Penelope…I'm...I don't want to say this to a door, but I'm sorry."

After five minutes of no response, he sat in one of the chairs. He sighed heavily, running his hands over his face. God, he didn't want this. He didn't want her miserable for their trip at all. This was all wrong.

Fifteen minutes later, Penelope came out of her room, wearing perfect makeup and a sexy little dress. Completing the look was a pair of sleek stiletto pumps. "Goodbye, Morgan."

He was surprised, rather shocked. "Wha… where…"

"I am going to take in the Parisian nightlife. Hopefully I will have as much fun as I did in Italy. Probably more… since I will be by _myself_." She gave him a pointed look. "I'm going to find someone who does find me _interesting_."

Derek stood and reached for her arm. "Garcia, I didn't mean-"

She shot him a look that would've made the hotel clerk proud. "I don't care how you meant it right now. I just know I need to get the hell away from you!"

With that, Derek let his hand drop, and she went out the door.


	17. sorry seems to be the hardest word

_AN: Thank you so much for the reviews... Only a little bit more drama... Kricket_

_

* * *

_

The front desk clerk, whom Penelope learned was Henri, directed her to the nearest club in walking distance. It was only three city blocks away. She started walking down Avenue de Friedland towards Rue Beaujon, as Henri recommended.

The streets were darker than she was used to; there were many narrow alleyways jutting off of the avenue. She immediately thought of someone jumping out at her with a knife, and jumped herself when a man with a cigarette came out of a doorway. Immediately she thought of how safe she felt walking with Derek in Rome on similar streets. She never had to worry about a thing; she'd known he'd take care of her.

No chance of that now.

She held her little, useless decorative purse close to her and hurried along to the happening Discotheque on the corner.

There was a very long line to get in; she started waiting patiently, her feet beginning to ache. The music wafting outside along with the cigarette smoke was loud and pulsing. The outside of the building looked old but well kept, like their hotel. She wondered what the inside was like.

She waited forever, the line getting increasingly longer. After a half hour of standing there, she yawned and stretched. Standing there waiting forced her to think. She didn't like arguing with Derek. When she looked at him, he seemed to miss being with her. She missed being with him, too. The best parts of this trip were the times they'd spent alone together.

There were so many times in England she'd thought about what something more would feel like with Derek. She wondered if he'd wondered about that, too. That seemed almost impossible to her; she'd always wanted Derek, could he want her back?

Her head, along with her feet, was starting to hurt from thinking, and she was sick of waiting. Now was not the time to fix anything between them. She needed a good night sleep, and work on it in the morning. She decided to call it quits and head back to the hotel.

She turned and left the line, immediately losing her spot to the crowd surging forward. As she started walking along, she saw him, then, waiting in line, too. He was talking to a thin, gorgeous redhead with a cigarette, and two non-smoking blondes. They were all laughing at what Morgan was saying, tossing their hair and touching him in coy invitation. Amazingly, he already had a beer in his hand. He couldn't speak a word of the language, but he was having a damned good time waiting, enjoying a beer with some women.

She really didn't want him to see her. Immediately, she hid behind a couple walking in front of her, moving as close as she could to them while they passed Derek and his bevy of beauties.

Making it back to the hotel, she ordered room service, a large bottle of French champagne, and a cheese sandwich, then went to her room. She'd slid off her clothes, reached for a thin, white Italian silk nightgown she had bought in Rome, when she heard the door. Thinking that it was room service, she slid the nightgown on, reached for her purse and went into the shared lounge.

Surprisingly, it was Derek. "What are you doing back so soon?" she questioned, her lips puckered in a frown.

"I should ask you the same thing," he replied, arching his eyebrow at her.

"I didn't want to wait in line," she replied.

"Me, neither," he answered.

The way he said it, she didn't believe him. "Derek," she began, "did you follow me?"

"You got me," he answered. "Yes, I did."

Her heart pounded a little faster, and she asked the question she most needed to know, "Why?"

"It's dark; this is a big, dangerous city," he answered. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Is that all?" she asked, feeling ridiculously hopeful. There was something about this night, the arguing, the thinking that she'd done in line, the realization of how much she'd missed him, that brought out the hopeless romantic in her.

"No," he said. "I feel responsible for you leaving, since you wanted to get away from me."

Her heart sank just a little bit. Yet again, she was just his responsibility. "Well, I shouldn't have said that. I apologize. I'm fine, really, and I don't need your bodyguard services, Derek."

"I just want you to know… I'm sorry, too, Penelope," he replied quietly, his voice barely a breath. He looked earnest and really sad. "I don't feel responsible for you; I like to protect you. I would be there for you always. Whenever you need me; I'll be there."

She didn't have time to answer. There was a quick rap on the door. She opened the door, spoke in French to the bellboy with the tray, then paid him. When she turned with her champagne and cheese sandwich, he was gone.

* * *

Penelope woke the next day with a slight headache. She didn't even drink the champagne that she'd ordered, that was the worst part as far as she was concerned. She didn't really feel like champagne. This headache was caused because she simply over thought. With the arguing, crying, and the strange remark Morgan made before he'd gone to bed, she couldn't help but think.

She needed to see him and talk to him again. Today was a fresh day, they were away from Cosimo and Luca, in a fantastic new country, and she was ready to see it with him. She was going to apologize and let bygones be bygones.

After dressing quickly, she walked out into the adjoining room and knocked on Morgan's door. No answer. She opened the door; his bed was slept in, but he was no where to be seen. Pen thought maybe he ran downstairs for something.

Sitting at the table with a map of Paris, she plotted their destinations for awhile. Thirty minutes later, he still hadn't returned. She went into her bathroom, fixed her hair and refreshed her makeup, packed her purse with essentials, and put on serviceable shoes. It was now forty-five minutes later, and Derek was no where to be seen.

_Whenever you need me; I'll be there._

She snorted. He wasn't even there the next morning, much less being there for her when she needed him.

She grabbed her room key and left.

* * *

Penelope took a quick moment to stop for a croissant, before hopping on the subway system to the _Musée du Louvre_. She had wanted to see the Louvre for her entire life. She loved paintings, sculptures, art in general. She couldn't wait to see the _Mona Lisa_, to see her smile in person.

After spending almost the entire day looking at various artworks, some famous, like the _Venus de Milo_, some not, she finally made it to the _Mona Lisa_. There was a barricade around it, along with some guards. She was surprised; it was not as big as she thought it would be. It was only about two feet tall, and a little less wide. She thought it would be this massive painting, but it wasn't. However, standing near it, seeing the look in her famous eyes, the infamous smile on her lips made it worthwhile.

Penelope spent some time in the gift shop, before heading out to wander in the beautiful _Tulieries_ Gardens. There were some fragrant roses; she stopped to smell one and was immediately transported back to her thoughts of Derek and her time in the English Garden. She pictured him, kneeling romantically, his eyes teasing but warm. Although this garden was spectacular and lovely, there was no comparison to the one in London, simply because there was no one to share it with.

She tried to shake herself out of that thought, and found a cafe, where she had a cup of strong French roast coffee and a _croque__ monsieur_. Rather than sitting there by herself, she got up and left, even though she was still hungry. There were a lot of couples sitting nearby her, holding hands, talking, kissing. It made her blue, and she didn't want to feel that way.

Pulling out her map, she saw that the _Musée__ d'Orsay _was nearby. Although she wasn't sure she wanted to see a bunch of art again, she headed out to keep busy. Unfortunately once she arrived, she was too busy thinking of how wrong things went to truly enjoy the works of Monet and Cezanne. She felt remarkably guilty; those artists deserved her full attention!

She thought about stopping at Jim Morrison's grave. The man was sexy and gorgeous in his day; that would probably perk her up. Dead now, but sexy back then, at least! Instead, she headed back to the hotel, her feet sore and her head aching a little bit.

When she opened the door, she saw Derek sitting at the little table reading something. He lowered the paper and scowled at her. "Where the hell have you been?"

She scowled back, her ire ignited. How dare he! "Where the hell were _you_ this morning?"

"Jogging! I told you that!"

Her lips tightened. "You did not!"

He narrowed his eyes. "I left a note saying I'd be back in about an hour. The usual time it takes me to run. Fitness doesn't get a vacation!"

"You did not!" she repeated.

He scowled again, but this time it was in confusion. "Yes, I did. It was on the table."

"There was no note, Derek."

Immediately, they both started looking on the floor, looking all around for the note. Penelope found it, wedged under a table leg. It obviously blew off the table top and floated to that inconspicuous spot.

She started reading Derek's bold scrawl:

_Baby Girl,_

_I don't know what happened to make us snap at each other this much. Traveling sometimes does that to people, but I never thought it would happen to us. All I know is I'm sorry for my part of it. I want to enjoy Paris, but even more, I want to enjoy being with you. We could be in damned Antarctica, and I'd still enjoy it if I were with you. I love you and I miss you. Let's start over when I get back from my run. D_

Penelope couldn't help the tears rolling down her face. She sat there, under the table, holding the note. Derek sat down right next to her, and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. He didn't say a word, he just remained there, an undeniable presence that warmed her heart. She squeezed his hand back.

"Yes, Derek. Let's start over tomorrow, okay?"

His stomach growled loudly. He grinned at her and said, "Can we start over tonight? I'm starving, and I can barely order a pop here. My French, even with the book, sucks shit."

She burst out laughing. "Oh, sure, Morgan. That's what you miss about me: My ability to keep you fed."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "It is a good asset to have, baby."

She giggled. "Come on. I have champagne. I will order us food, and we can eat in here tonight."

"Sounds great," he said, starting to crawl out from under the table. "I even found a deck of cards at the corner store. I'll kick your ass in Crazy Eights."

She smiled, slapping his butt as he crawled out in front of her. "Yeah, you wish."

And for the rest of the night, they ate baguette sandwiches, fruit and brie, and drank champagne, while playing the best rounds of cards they'd ever had the chance to play, just enjoying being together.


	18. Paris

_A/N: After all the drama and tears of the last few days it's time for exploring Paris. Just the two of them. Also ... dedicated to my dear friend emzypemzy, who knows that a paragraph is just the beginning. - Naidoo_

* * *

The next morning Penelope was up early, feeling excited like a child at Christmas. She'd always wanted to go to Paris, tour the city and just dive into the French culture for a bit and now finally she would. A glance at her bedside clock told her it was just a bit after 7am. She knew Morgan most likely wasn't up yet and she didn't want to wake him, but she felt so excited, she barely could sit still. Leaving her bedroom she was surprised to see Morgan already sitting by the table on the little balcony they had, enjoying some coffee and reading a newspaper.

"You are up early," she chimed happily, before sitting down on one of the chairs and pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"I could say the same thing about you, Baby Girl. I actually wasn't expecting to see you up for a few more hours," he said, smiling softly at her, putting his newspaper away.

She smiled at the warm familiarity of the gesture he'd just done. She'd sat with him in Quantico, enjoying a latte, and had watched him doing the same exact thing. The fact that they were in Paris, thousands of miles away, didn't seem to matter when it came to that!

"So what do you have planned for us today?" he asked curiously, looking at her while taking another sip of his coffee. With his question, he watched as her whole face suddenly lit up with a massive smile; he knew this was something she had been looking forward to doing probably forever.

"We'll tour Paris. I have it mapped out already, the places to go and see and what we definitely shouldn't be missing. It's going to be great! "

When she smiled at him, Derek had no doubt it would be great. Everything that had to do with her was great. Even if she should decide on dragging him to the most boring place in this world, he'd go with her, knowing he would have a great time simply by being with her.

They'd finished breakfast slowly, taking their time, before getting changed and starting their tour of the city. Looking at yet another guidebook in Penelope's hand brought back memories of their trip through London. The things she'd made him see and do, look at and explore had been numerous but he hadn't minded. Italy, of course, had been slightly different, with both of them having been more often with their hosts than each other, but Morgan planned on making good on that mistake here in Paris. He had promised Penelope back in Quantico that he wouldn't just abandon her, but that's exactly what he'd done in Italy. In Paris, he certainly wouldn't make the same mistake again.

They got their tickets for the underground and started their day with a tour over the Seine, the river that ran through Paris. Despite it being a wonderful day with plenty of sunshine, the cold winds on their boat made Penelope pull her coat a bit tighter every now and then. Morgan wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his solid chest-and just like that, she wasn't feeling cold any longer...

Getting off the boat, Penelope grabbed Derek's hand and pulled him strongly towards what looked like a big church - an impressive, tall building that could be seen from miles away.

"Buried in that church are loads of important people, like Marie and Pierre Curie and Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau," Penelope explained excitedly, making Morgan smirk. He found it adorable how excited his best friend seemed to be in this church.

His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Voltaire, Hugo and Rousseau? I didn't know you were into the classics. That's something I always thought Reid would be into, but not you," he remarked, adding quickly "Not that you wouldn't strike me as someone who wouldn't read them." He backpeddaled a bit when he noticed how it could have sounded to his friend. He never questioned her intelligence; hell no, she was definitely one smart cookie!

Penelope just smiled at his comments for a moment, before answering, "Well, you don't necessarily have to read them to know that their works are pretty important in the world of literature and philosophy."

"And now you sound like Reid," Morgan added with a laugh, which earned him a playful punch in his upper arm from Penelope. He draped his arm around her shoulders and they left the church again, with Penelope guiding them towards their next destination – yet another church, although this one looked entirely different to the previous one.

"_Notre Dame, _by the way, is the main setting for the novel _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_, which was written by Hugo. Just because we were just talking about … classics," Morgan heard Penelope explain suddenly, and he was barely able to repress a laugh. Sometimes her geekiness was adorable, especially when standing in front of a church with a guidebook in her hand. The inner part of the church was rather dimly lit and cold, making Morgan hope that Penelope didn't intend on spending too much time around this place. He didn't mind looking at churches and other things that weren't really his cup of tea, especially not when it made her so happy, but _freezing_ in places he didn't mind seeing was an entirely different story. Luckily Penelope seemed to feel the same, and just a couple of minutes later, they were on their way to wherever Penelope guided them next.

They took the underground and got off some place that sounded rather cute when Penelope pronounced it in her French. The _Place de la Concorde _was actually a Place: rather large, with an obelisk in its center and two fountains. The place was located right between the _Tuileries_ gardens and the _Champs-Elysée_, which was nothing more than a street in Morgan's opinion. Of course, he was wise enough to not say it like that, knowing that for Penelope, it probably was another reason for excitement. After all, it was supposed to be the home of some of most well known designers in the world.

"Actually, it isn't," Penelope corrected him when they strolled upwards the _Champs-Elysées _towards the_ Arc de Triomphe_. "That's just everyone always assumes, but the actual _home_ is _Avenue Montaigne_ as well as the district of _Faubourg Saint-Honoré_."

"Are we headed there as well?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders just a bit tighter. It wasn't really cold-and Penelope hadn't seemed to be cold-but she didn't complain when he pulled her closer. For the moment, he would just remain this way, and enjoy her closeness.

Penelope laughed at his question for a moment. "I don't think they sell clothes that would fit my salary, so no, we won't..._but _we will go someplace else. After all, we are in Paris, and Paris is made for shopping."

"Didn't you already say the same thing about London and Rome?" he asked with a smile, kissing her forehead softly.

"Yeah, but there it was just an excuse." Penelope giggled softly, pressing herself a bit further into Morgan's body.

They made a quick stop at the _Palais de l'Elysée_, which was the residence of the French president, before continuing towards the _Arc de Triomphe _in the north of the _Champs-Elysées_. Afterwards, they took the underground to a place called _Montmartre_, which Penelope explained was some sort of artistic borough of Paris. They visited yet another church, which looked once again completely different from the previous ones. The _Basilique du Sacré-Cœur _was on top a small hill in _Monmatre_ and reminded Morgan more of the _Taj Mahal _in India than a European building.

They had a late lunch in one of the numerous small cafés lining the streets, and Penelope kept telling Morgan stories about Paris she read in one of her guidebooks. Derek couldn't hold back a smile every now and then from the excitement she told the stories with.

After their lunch, they took the underground yet again to the far east of Paris, a park Penelope wanted to visit. She said there wasn't exactly anything special about that park, but it would make a nice finish for their day in Paris.

With the great weather and the sun, they rented a rowboat to get out on one of the numerous lakes and just enjoy the peace and tranquility for the rest of this afternoon. Penelope had gotten coffee to go and some pastries from one of the little restaurants before they sailed off, so they were laying in the boat, sipping on coffee and eating pastries in the middle of a lake in the middle of Paris.

They finished their day of touring Paris with some shopping for Penelope, as well as a quick stop at the famous _Moulin Rouge_, before returning back to their hotel, before getting ready for their night out in Paris.


	19. The Eifel Tower

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews...Sigh!...This is something I have always wanted to do...Did it on the top of the Empire State Building, but...that's just not the same. And happy thanksgiving to all of you out there...Love, Kricket & Naidoo  
_

* * *

It was the end of a perfect day in Paris. Twilight was falling across the land, casting the city into shadows and blushes of pink and purple fading sunlight. The lights were beginning to twinkle, along with a few early stars in the sky.

Penelope held Derek's hand, walking towards the restaurant they planned on eating at for dinner. Henri was able to direct them to a nouveau-French place that blended Mediterranean cuisine with French cooking techniques and ingredients. It was a very expensive restaurant, but they decided since it was their last night in Paris, they would do it up in style.

Three stars on the _Michelin_ list, _Salute_ even had a gorgeous atmosphere. The room was nearly a greenhouse. Massive glass windows overlooked the city, including the Eiffel Tower. Glass ceiling panels let in the moon and starlight. Each table had white tablecloths, fresh rose and candle centerpieces, and comfortable looking chairs. It was dimly lit, Penelope thought on purpose, to let in the near heavenly glow of the outdoors.

"Bonsoir, Madame et Monsieur," the matire' d welcomed them. Derek noticed this time Penelope didn't correct the misinterpretation of her marriage status. He held her hand a little bit tighter as his heart skipped a beat.

Today, more than ever, he'd realized exactly how much Penelope meant to him. She was everything to him. When she was injured, he felt his heart wrench out of his chest. He would've put himself in her shoes, in the hospital bed, over and over again. He would've taken the bullet; he would've died for her. When she was so happy in England, so excited and giddy in London, he was happy just to watch her. When they fought earlier, his heart ached every moment he was away from her.

His emotions were raw and sensitive when it came to her. He could barely control them; he'd never been so out of control in his life, and he loved every second of it. He tripped over himself to please her, loved seeing her have pleasure over his own happiness. He saw red when other men flirted with her, an inexplicable tide of anger flowed over him. The need to claim her as his came to the forefront and wouldn't leave. It was passionate and heated, so much more than anything he'd ever had before.

Looking up across the table from where she sat, looking over the menu, he knew it even more. All of those things he had been feeling, all of those thoughts and emotions that were so new to him, equaled one thing.

He was in love with her.

There was a joy to loving someone as beautiful and kind as Penelope, but a great amount of fear and responsibility, too. He wasn't sure she loved him in the same way, and he was even less sure that he was deserving of her love. He just knew he couldn't live without it, and it was worth fighting for.

"Ooh, Derek," she said. "There is a dish, a _Coq au vin_, that is chicken with wine and all sorts of tasty herbs and vegetables from _Provence_, and a good Beef _Bourgenion_, and tonight's special.." she made a face. "No. It's _Veal Provencal_."

He smiled. She was so animated. "What's wrong with that?"

"Veals are not treated nicely," she answered, her warm brown eyes earnest. "Those poor baby cows!"

"Alright, sugar. No veal for me."

She grinned, looked back at her menu, then started talking again. "I need to know, chicken, fish, beef, so I can order us a wine."

"Beef. Red, right?" He arched a brow in question.

She nodded. "Yes, sir. I will get us something good."

Penelope ordered them a good burgundy from the burgundy region of France. She was getting spoiled on the rich wines of the European countries, although her home state of California had some damned good wines, too. She loved wine in general. She would've made an excellent sommelier.

Derek, on the other hand, was obviously not the biggest wine drinker. He drank whatever she ordered, but she knew he would much rather have had a beer. For instance, he took a big sip of the burgundy, like he'd gulp a budwiser.

"Ah, cupcake?" she questioned. "You're supposed to let the flavors rush over your tongue. Can you taste the hints of violet in that?"

"Hell, no."

She giggled. "Okay... you know? We should've planned a couple days in Germany. You could've had some excellent beer over there."

"Next time, okay?" he replied, smiling at her in such a way, her heart pounded harder. All day he'd been doing that to her, making her realize how she felt just a bit more.

Penelope knew she was falling in love with Derek. She missed him when he wasn't nearby, watched other couples and wished he was there, missed his smile and his laughter when they'd argued, and was jealous as hell over Luca. She knew the potential was always there; now, spending 24 hours a day with him, there was no mistaking how she felt. The sun and moon rose Derek Morgan; he was quite possibly the finest man she would ever know.

Derek wasn't just another pretty face, that would belittle what a truly good man he was. He was caring and giving, seeing to her happiness at all times. He was warm and funny, cheering her when she needed cheering, comforting her when she needed comfort. He protected her, cherished her, and made her feel like a better woman just for knowing him. He gave her strength, and allowed her to comfort him, too. He was her best friend, the one person she knew she couldn't live without.

As the plates arrived, they chatted and laughed, reliving their trip to date.

"Do you miss Luca?" she asked, but gently. She needed to know exactly where she stood, now more than ever.

He smiled and reached over the table to hold her hand. "Luca and I were a long time ago. I didn't know she still harbored feelings for me, or I never would've put us in that situation. I didn't realize until after the first two days exactly what she'd wanted." He looked up at her, and said quietly, "I would've moved us, but you seemed so happy with Cosimo."

"Cosimo is a very nice, charming man. He kept me company and reminded me a lot of you," she said, then added with a smile, "but I would rather have the real thing over a replacement."

His eyes twinkled, and he kissed her hand. "Can you forgive me, angel, for not giving you all the attention you deserved in Italy?"

"Nothing to forgive," she replied. "But keep up the good workyou started here over in Spain, please!"

He chuckled, and ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist. "Baby, is there anything you wish to do here in France before we go?"

"The Eiffel tower," she answered quickly. "I never made it there."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? You'd said that was the first thing you'd wanted to see."

"I know," she answered with a shrug. "I just didn't want to see something that monumental alone. I couldn't do it."

"Well then," he replied. "After dinner, we'll go."

* * *

After a decadent dessert of _crème brulee_, Derek and Pen headed to the Eiffel Tower. They got their tickets for the observation deck, and took the elevator, before climbing some flights of stairs. There was a restaurant in the middle, which surprised Penelope. She wasn't expecting it to look quite like that close up. There were many light projectors and strobe lights, giving the tower an ethereal appearance. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

The tower was much less crowded at night. Only a few other couples were making the climb up the stairs with them. She was getting a little out of breath, but she was excited enough to see the top she forged her way upward.

Once they reached the very top of the tower, there was an observation deck with a 360 view of the city. It was striking and panoramic; the lights of the city lay like a carpet below them. They were both quiet, taking in the landscape and the incredible feeling of being in an iconic landmark.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, as Derek looped an arm around her waist.

"Yes," he replied, although he wasn't looking out one of the windows. He was looking straight at her, his eyes shining brightly in the darkened room. He reached his long, tapered fingers up to her cheek and brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

"Derek," she murmured, meeting his glance with her own, feeling some uncertainty and a lot of excitement. Her lips parted and and her lashes lowered.

It was all the invitation Derek needed. The next moment, he had his hands on her lower back, he was pulling her against the muscular wall of his chest until there was no space at all between them and he was kissing her.

It started off soft and gentle, very pleasant and warm, his mouth brushing against hers in the barest of contacts. He tasted, tested, feeling her lips beneath his, with reverent beauty. It was like he was memorizing each little contour, each crevice, each plane. It was surprising, really. He was such a passionate man; she'd been expecting more heat from him.

And then it all changed.

Derek slanted his mouth over hers and took her lips with a fierce ardor that made her head spin and her legs unsteady. The pure, hungry pressure of his lips caused hers to open, and his tongue dipped inside to touch hers. She held on, shaking like a leaf in the wind, her arms winding up to wrap around his neck. She clung to him, as the two of them became combustable.

His lips and tongue were urgent, demanding so much from her, and she willingly gave back to him whatever she could. Derek brought his hands up to cradle her face, giving her a few more light, nipping kisses, before he plunged his fingers into her hair and began to kiss her again with a depth and fire she didn't know existed. She'd been kissed many, many times in her life, but never like this.

She moaned against his mouth as she leaned against him, her palms splayed against his back. "Derek..."

Pulling his mouth away from hers, he began to kiss the side of her face, the tip of her nose. "God, Baby Girl..." He shuddered, saying the words intensely, the feelings erupting between them.

"I know," she replied, understanding exactly how he felt.

He chuckled lightly and rested his forehead against hers, while his thumbs brushed against her cheeks. A moment later, he said, "Damn."

"Mmm hmm," she answered. "Damn."

The loudspeaker began. "_Mesdames et Messieurs: la terrasse d'observation sera la fermeture, en quinze minutes_."

Derek gave her a questioning look.

"They're closing this area in fifteen minutes," she answered.

He gave her a crooked smile that took her breath away. "Not nearly enough time for what I want to do with you." He brushed his thumb over her lips, before lowering his hand. "My next kiss is going to last hours, sweetness."

She smiled, but shivered at the intensity of his words. It was so much, so overwhelming. "Derek, I'm..."

He held her close again, bringing his hand under her chin. "I'm not going to rush you, angel. I promise."

"I know," she said, hugging him tightly.

He kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath. Then said, "Come on. Let's go home."


	20. the end of paris

_A/N: Sooner or later they'd have to leave Paris, but don't be too sad about that Spain promises a lot of heat, and not just because of the weather. Thank you all for the lovely feedback, it seriously had blown us away... - Naidoo_

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* * *

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They made it back to their hotel way past midnight, deciding on taking a little stroll along the promenade off the river Seine. Their intention was just to walk a bit to the next metro stop, but they got so lost in each other, stopping for more kisses along the way, that they ended up walking the whole distance between their hotel and the Eiffel tower. It was a good half hour walk, but neither of them really minded in the end. They walked along the promenade and the well-lit streets and avenues, tangled up in each other, with Morgan having his arms wrapped tightly around Penelope and she leaning close into him with every step. Never before had she felt so safe as she did in that very moment. Tomorrow they would make their way towards Spain, the last stop before going back home, but tonight that was still several hours away and that's what counted for Penelope. She was here, with Morgan, in this incredible city, exploring the hidden depths of their relationship.

The next morning was a rather hard one for Penelope. She'd woken up in Morgan's bed, in which she had fallen sleep the night before. They hadn't had sex; they didn't want to rush things, although they both really wanted each other, and they were consenting adults. However, what they did have last night was almost better-total, complete, intimate closeness.

They had ordered some late night snack from room service and got comfortable in his bed, with the TV running and him not understanding a thing. He'd tugged her over so close, she was nearly laying on top of him. She'd laughed about the shows, while he'd just laid beneath her, holding her close, stroking her hair and letting his hands generously roam over her body. That's how they fell asleep, with the TV still running and his arms wrapped around her. However, when she'd awakened, he was nowhere to be found.

"Derek?" she asked sleepily into the large room, but there was no answer. One glance at the clock told her it was just shortly past 8. She had slept a bit less than 6 hours if she wasn't entirely wrong. Penelope was about to get up when she heard clinging of china, and a moment later, her missing companion stood in the door of his bedroom, carrying a large tray in his hands.

"Good morning, sunshine. How do you feel this morning?"

As cute as he was, she grimaced. He was way too cheerful. Penelope certainly was not a morning person.

"Why are you so happy at 8am?" Penelope asked grumpily, getting herself up a bit more.

"Seeing you in the morning _always_ makes me happy," Derek responded, making his way now over to her and placing the tray on the bedside table, before leaning over her and kissing her softly.

Her intention was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him back into bed with her, but he was too quick, and before she could even just loop one arm around his neck, he was standing again.

He placed the tray in front of her before sliding in behind her, pulling her against him so she was sitting with her back against his chest.

"Why can't every morning start like this?" she murmured, ripping a piece of croissant off and dunking it in her orange juice.

"Well, stick around and you might get this every single morning, gorgeous," he said, kissing the back of her head.

Penelope just laughed at that, poured herself a coffee and enjoyed how this day had already started so very good.

"I called the airline. As far as they are concerned, there are no delays or cancellations, so we are ready to go to Spain this afternoon. You looking forward to that, cupcake?" Morgan asked, kissing her neck softly.

Penelope simply sighed as an answer.

"What kind of answer is that?" She could feel him smiling against her skin.

"The kind of answer you get when you keep doing that. But no... well, I kind of look forward to Spain, but I am also sad to leave Paris already. It feels as if we just got here yesterday."

"Hmm … I might need to find a way then to convince you Spain is not too bad either," he whispered against her ear and Penelope could already feel the goose-bumps rising on her arms. "But I can always do that in Spain, right? No need for me to find ways now."

He stood, leaving the bed, in spite of her protests. He laughed and winked at her.

This man was such a tease; Penelope wondered how he was still able to keep teasing her after all these years. She should by now have found ways to make him stop teasing and start delivering, but so far she was out of luck.

She finished breakfast, before taking a shower, and then making sure afterwards she had all her belongings packed up and securely stored. She wanted to make sure none of her purchases could break, like her Italian crystal had on previous occasions.

During the cab drive to the airport, Penelope had to smile about what could change within a couple of days. She remembered the night three night ago when they'd come to Paris, how badly they had argued and made each other feel miserable. Now, three days later, they were in love, nonstop hugging and kissing, barely able to make it a moment without some sort of contact. A few days ago she had shed some tears over how stubborn and mean he could be, now she was all smiles and in love at how sweet and giving he could be.

And looking at Derek, who sat next to her in the backseat, holding her hand…he wasn't far behind!

They made it to the airport, Morgan taking care of their entire luggage as well as paying the cab driver, and navigated inside the terminal of Charles-de-Gaulle airport, ready for check-in.

Their flight to Mallorca was on time, no planned delays, and in just another hour they would be leaving magical Paris. Penelope never understood why everyone called this city the City of love until now. Now that she had fallen in love, in this wonderful city, she understood. The magic of Paris seemed to get to everyone in the end.

* * *

Three hours after they boarded the plane in Paris, they left it again in Palma de Mallorca. Their last stop brought them on this island for just relaxing. They didn't plan on doing much sightseeing, maybe exploring the coastal line around the place they would be staying at, but that would be it. No more churches and walking through big cities. She knew she put a lot on Morgan over the last few weeks, so this was the perfect finish: Just relaxing by the pool, catching some rays and doing nothing else. They had rented a little villa in the north of the island, which was supposed to be rather secluded and beautiful, not as touristy and party-like as the south. The south was known for its notorious party-miles that offered cheap booze, plenty of party and even more naked skin.

They also had rented a car to make it to their villa, which was an hour away by car. They'd made it there just before 10pm, having gotten the keys already from the renting agency which was conveniently located in the airport. The villa was at first glance gorgeous, one of these Mediterranean buildings that was built wide open. There was a large terrace with steps leading down to a pool area. The kitchen was big enough to spend hours in. In general, the whole ground floor very open with no actual doors. The living room was dominated by large plush looking couches and a big Flat -screen TV. All of the rooms gave access to the terrace outside, so they could enjoy the beautiful Spanish weather. The upstairs was consisting of two large bed rooms and two bathrooms as well as another living room. Who was supposed to live in all that space?

The bedrooms were next to each other, with French doors connecting them with each other. Both had balconies overlooking the garden and pool area and both looked exactly the same.

"Which one do you want, Baby?" she heard Morgan asking from the stairs. He had been busy getting their luggage from the car inside and then upstairs.

"I actually don't really mind. They are both more or less the same. How about I take this one," she decided, pointing towards the room she was currently standing in, "and you take the other one? I don't like waking up having the sun shining into my face."

"That's why curtains were invented, gorgeous," he laughed, unloading her luggage on the nearby luggage table for her to unpack whatever she needed.

"They stocked the fridge with all sort of things. I think we definitely won't have to worry about starving or dehydrating," Penelope quipped with a laugh, following Morgan outside the room and downstairs again. "I think we don't even need to leave this place for our entire stay to be honest."

"That's actually exactly what I had planned," he murmured, making Penelope look up at him questioningly.

"What was that?" she asked, not quite catching those words.

Morgan just shook his head. "Nothing," he answered with a smile, before falling down into one of the plush, deep couches, motioning for her to come next to him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders the moment she sat down, pulling her towards him so she was leaning partly against his shoulder and partly against his chest.

"You realize that is the last part of our little journey, right? In a couple of days we are back on our way to big, ol' Washington," Penelope whispered into the silence.

"Hmmmm…. I'm aware of that and I plan to make the best of our last few days," he responded kissing her forehead.

At that Penelope turned her head upwards, looking at him suspiciously. He had a devilish look on his face.

"Oh yeah? Care to fill me in on your plans?" she asked with a smile on her lips.

Morgan just kissed her softly, before smiling himself. "You're gonna have to wait and see, sweetness." With that, he leaned his head back, letting it fall on the back of the couch and smiled somewhat mysteriously.

Penelope decided on letting it go for now. After all she was certain that whatever he had planed she probably would like it. And maybe it was good for a change to have someone else be in charge. Over the last few weeks she had done most of their planning and guiding – not that she minded – but for their last few days, it seemed like a wonderful idea to put herself into Morgan's caring and capable hands.


	21. Spain

_AN: Thank you for the reviews, lovely readers! Question … Who thinks we are ready for some more heat? I do! ... Kricket_

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After getting settled into the villa, Derek suggested going out for dinner, as was their usual when they first arrived into town. This was a big difference here from their usual stops-this place had a kitchen, including a full bar!

Penelope shook her head. "Hot Stuff, there are all sorts of fantastic things in this fridge; cheese, ham, bread, wine, tomatoes..."

"Baby," he began, "I am a really shitty cook, and I don't want you to have to do it all, so-"

"Nonsense," she scoffed. "How about I make us a couple of good sandwiches, you cut up some fruit, and we can eat out on terrace at that table by the pool?"

He came over and stood by her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Sounds great. How about we go for a dip afterwards?"

She frowned a little, wondering why he suggested that. "D, you know I didn't bring my suit."

He put his hand under her chin and smiled that crooked half smile she loved. "Who said anything about suits?"

In spite of her best intentions, Penelope blushed. But then she surprised herself, and probably him, by saying, "We better put robes on before we go down."

Beaming at her, he leaned forward and kissed her lips quickly. "That's my girl."

She grinned back at him, and shooed him away, while she made the sandwiches. A moment later, he came down wrapped in a thick white terrycloth robe. She cast her eyes over him appreciatively, noticing his hair roughened calves and bare brown feet. The man was damned lucky: even his feet were attractive!

Trading places with him, she ran up the stairs to her room, taking everything off, including her control top panties she was wearing. She looked quickly at herself in the mirror, noticing just about every imperfection. She was grateful she waxed before the trip; at least her skin was smooth and silky.

Tugging on her matching robe, she belted the waist loosely and headed down the stairs. Derek was standing in the kitchen still, peeling and sectioning oranges.

"Hey, try this," he said, holding up a piece of the succulent fruit.

She padded over on her bare feet, and held his wrist, before tasting the piece of fruit from his fingers. "Mmm, excellent."

He smiled at her, his eyes darkening just the slightest bit, before handing her two full wine glasses. "Here, sugar. I got the plates."

They headed down the terraced garden to the private pool. The sun was setting in Palma de Mallorca, but it was still warm and beautiful. The ocean breezes were gentle tonight, caressing their skin as they ate the crusty bread and thick slices of ham and cheese.

They chatted until the sun went almost completely down, and the automatic lights around the pool started, illuminating the water. The pool water was azure blue, clear and clean, and looked very inviting.

Derek stood first and walked to the edge of the pool near a reclining lounger. There, he removed his robe, tossing it on the chair, revealing his absolute perfect nakedness. She'd known about his wide shoulders, trim waist and narrow hips; he wore his clothes too well to hide his physique. However, naked…he was even more beautiful. Long, lean thighs, thick with muscles, a tight butt, and a penis that made her stifle a gasp. He was only partially erect, and he was already impressive.

She only had a moment to truly savor him before he turned and dived head first into the pool. Derek was an awesome swimmer; she'd known he did laps in the Quantico pool. Always the health nut, even on vacation, he started swimming a few laps now.

Penelope took that moment when he wouldn't be watching her to stand and shrug off her robe. She dipped a toe in to test the water temperature; it was like bathwater. She jumped into the shallow end, which was about waist deep. She had her arms crossed over her breasts; there was something about being so exposed that made her nervous.

When she felt completely used to the temperature, she dove under and came up in the deeper part of the water. It was about six feet deep there; she was treading water when Derek swam up by her side.

"Hi, beautiful."

"Hi, handsome."

"Looks like you're having just a bit of difficulty." He grinned at her, then reached for the edge of the pool and her wrist at the same time, pulling her naked body up against his.

The feel of her soft, wet breasts against his chest nearly sent Derek sinking to the bottom of the pool. It was the best feeling he'd ever had, the closest to heaven he'd ever be. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other sort of covering her chest. After a second's thought, her modesty must've lost out; she put the other hand around his shoulder, then moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.

There wasn't any need for words at that moment. Derek leaned his head forward and captured her lips in a hungry, hot kiss. He couldn't get enough of tasting her, of the sweet nectar of her mouth. He licked inside her mouth, and she responded with her own tongue stroking against his, stoking the fire he had burning in him. God, she was responsive and giving, and absolutely electric, unlike any other woman he'd kissed before.

Penelope was starving for him. She'd had a delicious meal, but she wanted to make him her feast. She continued kissing him abandon, her nipples beading against the hard surface of his chest. She could feel the hardness of his erection pressing against her stomach, just barely about where she needed it the most. And she definitely needed it. She ached, she could feel moisture that had nothing to do with the pool, and her body throbbed with want. She wiggled against him in a pure instinctive drive.

Derek groaned against her mouth, and reached his other hand over to pull her closer..

And they immediately began to sink.

Penelope sucked in a huge lungful of water out of surprise as they went down, and Derek tried to thrust her to the surface as he went under, too. Not understanding what he was trying to do, she struggled against him. He let her go, and she kicked to the surface, grabbing the side of the pool.

When he surfaced, he gasped for air and heard her coughing and choking. He reached the side of the pool where she was at and looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

She coughed, and nodded, and then sounded like she was coughing and laughing, too. "Oh... Hot..Stuff..." she sputtered, giggling between each word.

Soon, he was grinning and laughing, too. "I guess this wasn't such a great idea after all."

"Tom-" she paused to cough again. "Tomorrow it will be. We just need to get used to kissing each other more."

His grin grew even bigger. "Oh, hell, yes, sweetheart."

"Should we head up to sleep?"

He nodded, feeling a little disappointed, but understanding, too. She probably was in no mood to make love now, considering that she'd nearly drowned!

Using the edge, he pushed himself out of the pool onto his feet, slid on his robe, and handed hers over to her. Penelope strolled out of the pool and put her robe on, but not before giving Derek a delicious view of her nicely curved ass. Derek was a man who loved curves, and Penelope's certainly didn't disappoint!

Derek looped an arm across her shoulders, she looped an arm around his waist, and they began to climb the steps.

At the top of the stairs, he turned to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Goodnight, Baby Girl."

She smiled at him, a touch wistfully. "Goodnight, Hot Stuff."

Then he leaned over, and gave her a gentle kiss. And then another…and yet another…

And then she tugged the front of his robe forward to give him another kiss. And then another.

Never breaking contact with her mouth, Derek reached his arm below her knees, and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her through the door of his bedroom as they continued to exchange kisses.


	22. sightseeing and other adventures

_AN: This was an incredibly fun chapter to write... the first half is all me, and the second half is all Naidoo. So, a true collaboration in a collaboration story. :) Kricket_

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Once inside the bedroom door, the intensity ramped up. Their kisses went from gentle, light, exploratory to deep, hard and possessive. Kissing turned to licking, and then licking turned to consuming.

Derek had lowered her to her feet, only to pick her up again, as if he couldn't stand not being completely meshed with her. Penelope wrapped her legs around his waist as he brought his hands down to cup her bottom, holding her up. They stumbled forward a couple of feet, still kissing, tongues delving, hips grinding, bodies molding together.

Reaching the wall, Derek pressed her up against it, supporting her weight on his thighs, while she guided her hands up to cup the back of his head. He felt her tugging harder, trying to get closer, get more of what he was offering, giving as good as she was getting.

Derek tore his mouth away from hers, looking down into her eyes with savage intensity. "Damn," he whispered in a guttural voice, before capturing her lips again, his mouth demanding to take ownership of her.

She made demands of her own. She bit his bottom lip, not too gently, and returned every kiss of his with all the strength in her body. There was so much build up, so much tension, heat and steam, they couldn't stop if they tried. Their passion was like a runaway train: they could only get swept away with it and watch it come to its logical conclusion.

The feel of fabric instead of skin was driving Morgan crazy. From the corner of his eye, Derek saw a dresser. Lifting her again, he took a couple of steps and made it to the dresser. Balancing her on the edge, his hands tore at the belt of her robe, tugging the fabric down and over her shoulders.

In spite of being remarkably turned on, Derek had to take a moment to worship at the altar of the most perfect breasts he'd ever seen. He was a tried and true T and A man, and those particular breasts had been haunting him for quite a while. Sliding both hands up her ribcage, he cupped them, raising them to the light, his thumbs tracing circles around the barely pink nipples, then leaned forward, burying his face in between, inhaling deeply. He smiled; she smelled like Penelope: pears, berries, and an off scent of chlorine from the pool. He turned his face to kiss the slope on the left, then the right.

Penelope, on the other hand, was in the mood for more than adoration. She arched her back and put her hands on the back of his head, guiding his head give her more satisfaction. She could feel him grin against her breast, then he barely touched her. He blew gently, causing her to shudder, and then gasp as he clamped his lips and began to suckle.

"Oh, God, yes!" she cried as he nibbled gently with his teeth. He laid with his tongue in between her breasts, then moved to continue the fantastic torture with this mouth, until she was writing and tugging at him, arching her hips. She nearly fell off the dresser; she was bucking wildly, reaching for more.

Derek glanced over at the high bed in the room. It was one of those beds that were over filled; there was even a footstool for shorter people to climb in. Scooping her up in his arms, this time like he was carrying her over the threshold, he carried her to the bed. He lay her on the edge and stood between her legs. He smiled down at her, watched her eyes widen in surprise as he raised a leg, kissing her ankle, her knee.

They touched, made love, in a magical setting that would forever be branded in both of their minds as a perfect place for a perfect first time.

He collapsed on top of her, then rolled to her side. They both lay there panting and smiling for the longest time. Until Derek rolled to his side and said three words to her with a wicked smirk.

"One more time."


	23. out of control

_AN: Remember: this is a catalyst to get us where we need to be. There's a definite reason she did what she did, and he's young and hot headed here. And seriously, come on...they haven't been exactly forthcoming with each other, now, have they? Besides, both Naidoo and I are HEA girls through and through. Love, Kricket_

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After a long, relaxing day strolling through the streets Palma de Mallorca, Penelope was still excited, window shopping, looking in the artisan's shops, and purchasing so many things, she had to have them shipped back to their villa.

"Baby Girl?" Derek questioned from behind her as she was looking at a wrought-iron fruit sculpture.

She turned and quirked an eyebrow at him, "Do you think Hotch and Haley would like this?"

Derek couldn't figure out why exactly Hotch would want a wrought-iron iron apple sculpture, but he wasn't the best when it came to shopping for gifts.

"I'm sure whatever you pick, angel, they'll love."

She must've liked his answer; she beamed at him and turned back to the display.

"Baby," he grumbled, shaking his head.

"I love art deco," she said, smiling, moving an iron watermelon slice. "There is a lot of art deco in this region."

"Penelope."

He must've barked sharper than he intended, because she turned and looked at him with concern.

Tugging her by the jaunty scarf belt she had tied around her waist, he moved her into his arms. "I'm hungry. We've been shopping for five hours, nonstop. I need some food, some booze, and some relaxation time with my honey… alone."

She put the iron apple sculpture down and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm sorry, baby. I get so excited seeing everything I lose track of time. The last thing on earth I want to do is forget your needs."

"Oh, hell, _no. __You_ meet _and exceed_ my needs. No worries there..."

He couldn't help himself; he began kissing her neck, and soon the hunger for food was replaced with a whole different kind of hunger. He seriously did not think he would ever get enough of this woman.

"C'mon, honey," she said, chuckling and pressing lightly on his chest. "Let's go find a café."

He grinned down at her, then wrapped his arm around her waist and headed to the door.

* * *

Just around the corner, they found a bar with a sign out front advertising food. They headed into the building out of the sun and into the dark. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light. Penelope sat at the corner of the bar, and there was an empty stool next to her.

Derek ordered a cervesa, one of the few words he knew in Spanish, standing by her. "Be back in a minute; nature calls," he said, kissing her ear, causing her to shiver. Then he walked to the back of the room where the bathrooms were.

Penelope was enjoying her sangria and the atmosphere and artwork in the bar. She'd never had such an awesome drink in her life. It was smooth, red wine and fruity juice that complemented each other perfectly. There were pieces of colorful fruit floating in the glass, soaking up the goodness of the wine. She speared a large chunk of green apple and took a bite.

"You know, Eve was supposed to be banished from the garden of Eden for tasting that fruit," a tall, dark, very handsome Spanish man said, sliding onto the stool next to her. His voice was thickly accented, similar to Antonio Banderas. He grinned at her, "You should be careful."

It still amazed her how flirty the men in Spain and Italy were. She really loved the feeling, loved feeling like she was quite the femme fatale. It was a new feeling for her. She wasn't used to all this male attention. There was magic here; even Derek became her lover, and that seemed like an improbability back in Quantico.

For the first time in her life, she felt supremely attractive, like she was the one that all the men wanted. Soon it would come to an end, but she didn't have to let that happen now. She was going to play the tease, get the attention, and walk away a happy girl, boyfriend in tow.

That in mind, she smiled back, and answered, "Ah, but I am not Eve, and you do not look like a serpent."

"Ah, _mi amor_, temptation comes in all guises," he purred, his voice a low, stroking her ego. "I am Ricardo."

"Penelope," she said, flirting with the handsome gentleman.  
All was fine, until he reached a hand up to her arm. She leaned back a little from his touch, but he didn't let her go.

His thumb stroked lightly against her bare shoulder, and Penelope had a shiver run down her spine, although it wasn't a pleasant one. She was worried now; she'd carried this too far.

"_Corazon_, will you dance with me?" he said, his grip on her shoulder intensifying along with the darkening passion in his eyes.

Penelope began to stutter, " M-M-My boyfriend will be back any minute-"

"Your boyfriend _is_ back," Derek said, standing next to her from out of nowhere.

"Derek!" she gasped. Good Lord, what he must be thinking! She giggled uncomfortably and gestured to Ricardo, who wisely dropped his hand. "This is Ricardo. Ricardo, Derek."

Derek didn't bother to even look at Ricardo.

"I do not stay where I am not wanted," Ricardo said, grabbing the beer as he stood. "_Hasta la vista, Senorita_."

Penelope looked up at Derek, who tossed down some Euros for a drink he didn't even taste.

"I'll see you at the villa," he said, not looking at her, either, then turned and started walking out the door.

Scrambling in her purse, she dug out some money quickly for her sangria, and ran out the door. "Derek!" she cried.

He was walking much faster down the road than she could. She took off at a jog on the pavement. "Derek, please."

He didn't bother slowing down.

She finally caught up to him and kept up with his long legged pace. He was looking straight ahead, not saying a word. She could see a muscle in his jaw ticking, and she knew from past experience with him that wasn't a good sign.

She took a breath. "D, it wasn't what you think."

"Really," he remarked flatly, still walking. Then he made a dead stop, staring baldly at her. "So, it wasn't my lover flirting with another man to gain that man's attentions?"

She colored immediately; that was exactly what it was.

He snorted and shook his head, then started walking even faster. She reached for his arm, and he didn't slow down, dragging her in his wake.

"Hot Stuff, please," she begged. She didn't mind begging; she deserved to have to beg. Her voice was meek when she added, "It wasn't for his attention, exactly."

He stopped and turned on a dime to face her, so quickly she slammed into his chest. He held her arms and looked down at her. "Was it to get me jealous, P, hmm? Was it to make me crazed and angry? Well,congratulations, sugar; it worked."

He pushed her away like she was something vile, and she truly felt vile at the moment, like something Derek had scraped off his shoe. He started to walk again, and she tried to halt him.

"No, D.."

Turning to face her, he approached her quickly. "_Never_ put me to the test! I would never do that to you; don't you do it to me."

Tears started to fall. "Derek-"

"Don't!" he snapped, his eyes ice cold. "Don't you fucking dare!"

This time when he started walking away, she let him go.


	24. please forgive me

_AN: And now we are getting to the bottom of this problem... and headed towards a true Happily Ever After! Thanks for the reviews! Kricket_

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Penelope went back to the bar, which was not exactly a short hike from where she had been standing, arguing with Derek. He must have been furious, he dragged her for what seemed like miles. Really, it probably seemed a great deal longer, since she was fighting back tears and could barely see. For some reason, when Derek had told her not to cry, she really felt like she shouldn't. She didn't think she deserved to cry.

The more she thought, the worse she felt. She'd hurt him; she knew she did, and she felt like an ass for doing it. Derek had been nothing but wonderful and devoted to her for the majority of this vacation. Even looking back in Italy, it had been_ Luca_ making moves on Morgan, just like he had said, not the other way around. He wasn't completely innocent, but he didn't deserve this.

At the bar, she asked the bartender, a very kind woman, to call for a cab for her. The bartender, who's name was Alanza, had kept Penelope's many packages behind the bar, in hopes that she would come back for them, and was very sweet and kind, although her English was worse than Penelope's Spanish- and Penelope's Spanish was nothing to write home about.

The cab driver had picked her up at the bar and even had a sympathetic look for her when he'd opened the door for her. That had caused her to start crying even harder. Although he spoke English fluently, the cab driver had kept mostly silent, only speaking up to offer her a tissue here and there.

About a half hour later, the cab arrived at the villa. She paid the driver, giving a generous tip, then took her bags and herself up into the mansion. She left the bags outside the door, and gingerly went in search of Derek.

"M-morgan?" she called hesitantly. She didn't see him anywhere. She looked in the bedroom, the kitchen, everywhere. She started to worry that he left without her to go back to America. She cringed at that thinking; she knew Derek would never do that to her, no matter how justifiably angry he was at her.

She thought she saw some movement out on the veranda. She opened the French doors and saw Derek in one of the pool chairs, reading a paper. The sun was setting casting the patio in shades of orange and red, with just enough light to illuminate Derek's newspaper. The paper was in Spanish, however; Derek's Spanish was worse than Penelope's, so she knew he wasn't really reading it.

He lowered the paper. "Hey."

"Hey," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. Seeing him, seeing his beautiful chocolate eyes, made her throat start to close up again. She wanted to throw herself in his lap, beg forgiveness, and bawl for an hour.

Instead, she asked, "D-did you eat something?"

"Not very hungry."

Now she felt even worse. He was starving when they'd arrived at the bar, and they never did get to eat anything.

"Look, Garcia, I am really sorry I left you there," he began, his voice very calm. "It was an idiotic thing to do, and I'm sorry."

"No problem. It was broad daylight and I am a big girl who can take care of herself," she said quickly. He had no reason at all to apologize in her book!

His eyes narrowed, and he folded the paper and tossed it down on the little cafe table. "Yes, I almost _forgot_ how little you need me."

He stood, and started to walk past her.

"Derek, you misunderstood me," she said quickly, following him.

He kept walking. "No, I get you crystal clear, babe."

_Now_ she was pissed...and if there was one thing he should have remembered: having Penelope Garcia pissed at you was not a good thing.

"No, you dont!" She ran over to him and grabbed his arm hard, spinning him to make him face her. "You most certainly do NOT understand, and you really need to!"

He stared at her, obviously shocked. In spite of her high energy personality and emotional nature, she didn't get angry riled up very often.

"God, I have been beating myself up silly for the past two hours, worried to death about you, and you won't even listen!" She poked a finger into the middle of his chest. "Well, mister, now you're going to!"

To her surprise, Derek didn't move. He stood there, digesting what she said. Morgan gave her a falsely calm expression. She knew it was false; the muscle in his cheek was ticking. "Fine. Talk."

Now that some of the vinegar was out of her system and she had a literally captive audience, it was hard to get started. She wanted to tell him, wanted to pour her heart out, but didn't want to say it wrong. She decided to start at the beginning of the problem.

"At the bar, I was flirting with Ricardo, but it wasn't to get his attention, and it wasn't to make you jealous," she began. "It was for me."

"To have us both panting after you; I get it," he sneered.

"No, I-"

"I've done that with you before, Penelope," he snapped quickly. "I won't do it again."

Penelope wanted to stop and ask what in blue blazes that was about, but she tuned it out, because she wanted to finish what she had planned in her head. "No, it had nothing to do with either of you or any other man. It had everything to do with myself. It felt good to be desirable, to feel desired by handsome men. I wanted that feeling-"

"Okay. You wanted to feel hot. I understand-"

"No, Derek, you don't!" she cried, interrupting him. "Please be quiet and listen!"

He wisely kept quiet.

"You are the last person on earth who would understand what it feels like to be the chubbiest, or the nerdiest, or the ugliest person in a room." She looked up at him, pouring her heart into her words. "My whole life, I have had that feeling at different times-of being inadequate in some way. I have never really had the other feeling-like I had it all. You have it all the time, and you don't even realize it!

She looked away from him as tears clouded her eyes. "In Italy, in Spain... for the first time ever, I was the one _everyone -_ even_ you - _wanted. Me! Geeky, chunky,-"

"No," he said quickly, bringing his hands up to cup her face, effectively stopping her words. "Beautiful, intelligent, remarkable, brilliant, curvy, delicious, sexy, funny Penelope."

Her tears flowed down her cheeks freely. "I'm so sorry, D. I never would hurt you, not in a million years. You have to believe me. I just... I just..."

He held her in his arms then, and she cried, letting out a whole lot of pain, including some from years and years ago. He kissed the top of her head, then kissed her lips. "I'm sorry, too."

She sniffed. "What for?"

"I should've listened to you, I should've..." He stopped and gave a short bark of self-derisive laughter. "I have a lot of things I should've done, Penelope Garcia. I should've let you know how beautiful you are to me. I should've made you know what I think, that you're a goddess to me. I should've-"

"No, baby. You do," she whispered.

He held her face again in his hands, and said, "Why am I not enough, then?"

For a moment, the vulnerability she saw in his eyes shook her to the core. She'd never known Derek to be vulnerable about anything. Here, he was raw, hurting, and feeling like less than enough.

"No, Derek," she said fiercely. "You are enough."

"Baby Girl, I know I have never been your first choice, but I promise you: I will love you like no other man ever can." He lowered his forehead to hers. "I always have, and I always will."

_Always_. She thought about that. Him saying _I love you_ after she was shot, him being there every moment, before and after, all of his flirting and teasing...

She brought her hands up to his cheeks and smiled at him. "I have news for you, mister: you are my _only_ choice, from now on. Got that?"

He smiled. "Got it."

"Good," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "Now, let's go make sandwiches, and then you can carry this goddess off to bed."

Laughing, he reached for her hand and brought her to the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am."


	25. the journey's end

_A/N: And that is it. The end of this journey. Thank you all for coming along with us for the ride and for the amazing support. Thanks also to the wonderful kricketWilliams, who was a lot of fun to write with and a fountain of neverending ideas. She actually saved this story from where it was heading... Naidoo_

_A/N2: Thank you for taking this journey with Pen and Derek with us. It has been wonderful working with Naidoo on this story. What a blessing to have her as a friend and writing partner_. _Peace to you all, Kricket_

* * *

Their time to start their journey back home started three days later. They were packing up all their stuff rather last minute. They had spent most of their remaining time in Spain in bed, which was a fantastic place to spend it. However, Penelope now felt a bit guilty, being in a country like Spain, on an island like Mallorca, and not seeing much of the island and what it had to offer.

But not too guilty!

Ever since they had that terrible fight and separated, they'd spent their time making it up to each other. They hadn't left the bed unless absolutely necessary. When they weren't showering affection, attention, kisses and other very addicting things on each other, they were eating and relaxing, so that they _could _start right back up again, showering affection, attention, kisses and other very addicting things! By the end of the three days, they'd done every position known to man, and they didn't regret a minute of it. They'd rarely seen the outside of their bedroom suite.

And when they did, it usually was some place like the swimming pool, which rather soon ended with some other activities that didn't have anything to do with swimming at all any longer.

If they didn't make love, they slept, being so exhausted from making love, but it wasn't anything either of them really minded. They'd only had eyes for each other; even while sleeping, they'd dreamed about each other. One way or another they'd always been together.

Now, it was time to say goodbye to their home away from home. It was a thought that filled Penelope with a dichotomy of feelings. She was happy, but she was sad, too. She was packing her bag, feeling wistful.

She must've looked like she felt, because Derek wrapped his arms around her from behind, then turned her to face him. He cupped her chin in his hand. "Hey, sugar. What's the matter?"

She answered softly, "Just sad to be going home. I loved it here."

"I loved it, too, momma," he murmured, leaning forward to give her a little kiss. Afterward, he enfolded her in his embrace.

She sighed rather heavily, and leaned into his chest. She could feel the rumble of a chuckle from deep inside him. She glanced up in curiosity.

"Woman, I know that sigh," he said to her silent question, a warm smile of concern gracing his lips. "Something's up. What gives?"

"I just wish I could've seen more, done more, stayed longer," she replied.

He gave her a curious look. "Don't you miss JJ, the team?" He grinned wickedly. "Your babies?"

She laughed at that. "Ah,_ mon cher_. Of course I miss my computers... and everybody." She looked away from him again. "However, I wish I had you to myself for just a bit longer."

He brought his hands up to cup her face, so that she could look into his eyes, see the truth in them. "Baby Girl, you have the rest of your life to have me to yourself. Just say the word, and I'll come running."

She waited a second to get the lump of emotion out of her throat before answering. "Same here, pudding. Although I'll be running a little slower in my stilettos."

"Crazy girl," he said, kissing her one more time, before releasing her from his embrace, and picking up one of the sets of bags.

Penelope looked around the beautiful, sunny yellow room, and let out one more wistful sigh. Then she started packing again.

* * *

Making their way to the airport in the early hours of their last day or rather last few hours in Europe, Penelope fell asleep in the car, having not gotten enough sleep the night before due to a very nocturnal boyfriend of hers. And she swore he was insatiable. She had never met anyone, _anyone at all_, who was as sex-driven as Derek Morgan. Looking at him this morning, she once again had to realize life wasn't fair. He looked as if he had been sleeping the last three days through whereas she had big, dark bags under her eyes, which she couldn't even conceal with make-up, no matter how hard she tried. She had heard Morgan chuckle, when looking at her and her usual morning mood.

"You better remember; paybacks are a bitch," she grumbled towards him.

"What do you want to do? Ravish me for a week once we are back in DC?" he asked, then added a snicker. "If so ... bring it on and do your worst."

She punched him playfully in his arm and probably hurt herself more than him. Life wasn't fair, did she already mention that?

"No, but how about I'm just really, really, really busy for a few weeks once we are back home?" she smiled at him innocently, at which he just smiled back at her.

"You really would withdraw yourself for me? Doesn't that punish you then as well, because we both know, you are as addicted to me and the things I can do to you, as I am addicted to you and your things."

Penelope laughed for a moment and looked at him with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Hmm… the Derek Morgan rehabilitation…" she smiled, making him look up from the street to her.

"That makes me sound … rather unpleasant," he commented dryly at which she just laughed more.

"Oh trust me, the last thing _you_ have to worry about is being unpleasant. You might be the first drug where rehabilitation is not possible. And I think I kind of like that life-long prognosis."

Morgan just laughed at her comment. "A drug, huh?" he asked, a smile still gracing his lips.

They continued their way towards the airport, and a little less than half an hour later, they arrived, returning their car and making their way to the check-in desks. Another twenty minutes later, they were set and ready to go, making their way through security and towards the gates. It was then that Penelope realized this was goodbye from Europe, their little adventure that ended up bringing them together. Goodbye from the good times and the fun, the Italian heartbreakers and Spanish gigolos. It wasn't as if she had any doubts about them returning and things getting strange or even weird; no, she had no worries or doubts about that. She trusted him. And it felt right: she had been waiting for this to happen ever since she'd first met Derek.

She still wished she could stay a bit longer here, with him, all to herself. And yes, it was selfish, but she wasn't ready yet to share this with anyone else, with the team, her friends. She just wanted it to be them for another few days. But they couldn't. They had to return back to the US sooner or later.

She let out a sigh while she rested her head on Morgan's shoulder, who was sitting in the chair next to her in the departure lounge.

"You okay, sweetness?" Morgan asked, concerned.

"Still wish we could stay a bit longer," she explained, snuggling a bit further into his shoulder.

Morgan brought an arm around her shoulders and back and pulled a bit closer into him, kissing her forehead. "We can always return if you wish."

Penelope looked up at that for a moment, with a surprised expression on her face. He made it all sound so simple, like a weekend trip to rural Virginia or something like that.

"Just like that?" she asked, a bit in disbelief. "It's an 8-hour flight, Morgan. You can't just come over for a few days. You need to have time," she smiled at him, not sure how to take his spontaneity.

"If you want it, I'll make it happen," he said as he smiled softly at her. "I have already been wasting enough time not telling you sooner, not making a step towards what we have now. I want you to know that from now on it's you and me together. I … don't want there to be any doubt or worry on either side; this is real and for the long-haul. You are mine, I'm yours, we are in this together."

Penelope's lips curved in a sweet smile, more for herself than him. She knew it was true, and she didn't have worries. This was love, this was forever, and she was ready to hold on with both hands.

At that point, the announcer on the loud speaker said, "_Ahora embarque a los pasajeros en filas a través de L de H para el vuelo 275 a Nueva York. Now boarding passengers in row L through H for flight 275 to New York. Embarquement immédiat passagers H rangées par L..._"

"That's us." Derek stood and then smiled down at her. "You ready, Momma?"

She grinned and took his outstretched hand. She looped her arm in his. "I'm always ready, Hot Stuff."

And she meant every word.


End file.
